Mauritanian security forces have committed widespread human rights violations against migrants and asylum seekers over the past five years, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The 142-page report, released Wednesday, documents abuses between 2020 and early 2025 involving Mauritania’s police, coast guard, navy, gendarmerie, and army during border and migration control operations. HRW said victims — mostly West and Central Africans attempting to transit the country or embark on the perilous sea journey to Spain — suffered torture, rape, arbitrary arrests, theft, sexual harassment, and collective expulsions.
“Mauritanian authorities have followed an abusive migration control playbook, sadly common across North Africa, by violating the rights of African migrants from other regions,” said Lauren Seibert, HRW’s refugee and migrant rights researcher.
The report accused the European Union and Spain of exacerbating the situation by outsourcing their migration management to Mauritania, including funding and supporting its border enforcement. In 2024 alone, a record 46,843 people arrived by boat in Spain’s Canary Islands, though arrivals dropped to around 11,500 in the first half of 2025.
HRW said it interviewed 223 people — including over 100 migrants and asylum seekers — and documented abuses against 77 individuals, among them men, women, children, and a Mauritanian national. Researchers also inspected detention centers and reviewed evidence of mistreatment.
While Mauritania’s government has rejected many of the allegations, HRW noted that recent steps taken by authorities could strengthen migrant protections. The group urged the EU and Spain to ensure their cooperation with Mauritania places human rights and the protection of lives at the center of migration policy.
Thousands of migrants have died in recent years attempting the dangerous crossing to Europe, with the Canary Islands remaining one of the most perilous routes.
