Two journalists from the independent news outlet Al Akhbar.info were arrested by gendarmes while covering a peaceful protest in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, on September 2, 2025.
The reporters, Aboubakar Ould Mohamed Vall and Mohamed Abdallah Ould al-Moustapha, were documenting a demonstration by gas distributors outside the headquarters of the state-owned company SOMAGAZ when security forces stopped them. The journalists were taken to a police station, where officers ordered them to delete the photos and videos they had recorded. When they refused, the two were detained for three hours before being released without charge.
The incident comes just weeks after the closure of a news outlet, Anbaa.info, and adds to growing concerns over a shrinking space for press freedom in Mauritania. It also breaches Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Mauritania is a signatory.
The MFWA calls on the Mauritanian authorities to investigate the incident and ensure that journalists are allowed to cover demonstrations without harassment, in line with their international obligations to protect press freedom.
