TheArmed Forces of Mauritania (Arabic:الجيش الوطني الموريتاني,romanized: al-Jaysh al-Waṭanī al-Mūrītānī, French:Armée Nationale Mauritanienne[3]) are the defense force of theIslamic Republic of Mauritania, having an army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and presidential guard. Other services include the national guard and national police, though they both are subordinated to theMinistry of the Interior. As of 2018, the Mauritanian armed forces budget was 3.9% of the country's GDP.
The military forces ofMauritania were listed by theIISS Military Balance 2007 as comprising 15,870 personnel with an additional 5,000 paramilitaries, in the national gendarmerie.[2] The Navy (Marine Mauritanienne) had 620 personnel and 11 patrol and coastal combatants, with bases atNouadhibou andNouakchott. The CIA reported that the navy included naval infantry. The small air force (Force Aérienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) had 250 personnel, 2 FTB-337 aircraft, 15 transport aircraft of various types, and 4 SF-260E trainers. The 5,000 paramilitaries were divided in the National Gendarmerie (3,000), and the National Guard (2,000) who both reported to the Ministry of the Interior. Other paramilitary services reported by the CIA in 2001 include the National Police, Presidential Guard (BASEP).[4]
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Saleh Ould Hanenna, a former army major, led the2003 Mauritanian coup d'état attempt in June 2003. It aimed to overthrowPresidentMaaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. He commanded a rebel section of the Army during two days of heavy fighting inNouakchott.[5] With the failure of the coup Hanenna initially escaped capture, and formed a group called the 'Knights of Change' with Mohamed Ould Cheikhna, but they were arrested on 9 October 2004.[6]
GeneralMohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, a career soldier and high-ranking officer, was a leading figure in the2005 Mauritanian coup d'état that deposed PresidentMaaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya.[7][8]
In August 2008, General Ould Abdel Aziz led the2008 Mauritanian coup d'état that toppled PresidentSidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Following the latter coup, Abdel Aziz becamePresident of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election.[9] He resigned from that post in April 2009 to stand as a candidate in theJuly 2009 presidential election, which he won. He was sworn in on 5 August 2009.[10]
In March 1985, theDefense Intelligence Agency reported the army was 8,300 strong with no reserves (Military Intelligence Summary – Africa South of the Sahara, DDB 2680-104-85, ICOD 15 October 1984, Mauritania pages 4, 5, declassified by letter dated 29 April 2014). Reported regions at the time were Region I – Nouadhibou, Region II – Zoueirat, Region III – Atar, Region IV – formerly at Tidjikdja, which no longer existed, Region V – Nema, Region VI – Nouakchott, and Region VII – Rosso. The army was organized into the six regions which each supervised several companies, though there was 'one small autonomous infantry battalion stationed inNouakchott.
The Army is 15,000 strong, according to the IISS, with six military regions, two camel corps battalions, one battalion ofT-55 battle tanks, one armored reconnaissance squadron, eight garrison infantry battalions, seven motorized infantry battalions, one commando/para battalion, 3 artillery battalions, 4 air defense batteries, one engineer company, and one guard battalion.[2] The 1ère région militaire is atNouadhibou, 2nd Military Region is atZouerate, 3rd Military Region is atAtar, 4ème région militaire may be atTidjikdja, 5th Military Region headquarters is atNéma,[11] The 6th Military Region may be in the area of the capital, and the 7th Military Region may be atAleg.[12]
The Mauritanian military is currently involved inOperation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara. Previous U.S. anti-terrorist engagement included training under thePan Sahel Initiative. Under the PSI, a10th Special Forces Group training team carried out a one-week border monitoring training programme in January 2004.[13]
The IISS listed equipment in 2007 as including 35T-55 main battle tanks, 70 reconnaissance vehicles (20Panhard AML-60, 40Panhard AML-90, 10Alvis Saladin), 25 wheeled APCs (estimate 20Panhard M3 and 5Alvis Saracen), 194 artillery pieces (80 towed: 36 HM-2/M-101, 20D-30, 24 D-74; 114 mortars: 60 60-mm, 30 Brandt 120-mm), 24MILAN ATGM, 114 recoilless rocket launchers (est. 90 M-40A1 106mm, est 24 M-20 75mm), est 50 RPG-7 Knout, 104 SAMs (est 100SA-7 Grail, and a reported 4SA-9 Gaskin), and 82 towed anti-aircraft guns (14.5mm, including 12ZPU-4,ZU-23-2,37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K), 1257 mm AZP S-60, and 12 100mmKS-19s).[14]
Among reported special forces units are:
After achieving independence in 1960 the Faidem (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie) was supplied equipment by France, such as C-47s and MH.1521 Broussards, which was later replaced by the Britten-Norman BN-2A Defender between 1976 and 1978 and had operated as a transport and observation squadron in theWestern Sahara War.[25] During the same time two Cessna 337s and two DHC-5 Buffalo STOL transports were supplied in 1977 and 1978 with one DHC-5 crashing almost immediately and the other being returned toDe Havilland Canada in 1979. After thePolisario Front shot down one Defender and damaged two in 1978 the Mauritanian government ordered sixIA-58 Pucarás for ground attack duties from Argentina; this order was later cancelled after a Mauritanian military coup.
The Air Force School was created inAtar. It was founded to train pilots, mechanics, other crewmen for the Air Force.[26]
More recent procurements have been from China in the form of the Harbin Y-12 II turboprop transports were delivered in September 1995, one crashed in April 1996. A second one crashed on 12 July 2012.[27] The Xian Y7-100C (a copy of the AN-24 transport) was delivered from October 1997, which crashed in May 1998. The Air Force had also recently received their order of severalEmbraer EMB 314 Super Tucano aircraft.
Mauritania has developed a five-year plan to develop its navy into a force that is capable of defending the country's 235,000 km squared exclusive economic zone, Admiral Isselkou Ould Cheik El-Weli said during a promotion ceremony held at theNouadhibou naval base in late May 2017. The Saharamedias.net website reported that the plan includes the acquisition of two 60-meter vessels, which are currently under construction, and "mid-sized ships", as well as the formation of three companies of marines. No further details were provided.[28]
The Mauritanian Navy was created on 25 January 1966, after the extension of Mauritania's territorial waters from 12 to 30 nautical miles (22 to 56 kilometres). By 1972 the navy had one small patrol gunboat and two small patrol craft that performed port control and customs duties. In 1987 the navy had thirteen boats. Of these boats, only eight were seaworthy, and the navy could send only two vessels out to open water at a time. Mauritania's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extended 200 nmi (370 km) out from the coast, but even if effective coastal surveillance were possible, the navy's vessels would not be able to control Mauritania's waters. Nouadhibou housed the major naval base;Nouakchott housed a secondary base.[29]
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| Vessel | Origin | Type | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIMAM EL HADRAMI | China | Patrol boat | Obtained in 2001 | |
| TIMBEDRA | China | Patrol boat | Obtained in 2016 . CMS from France (LYNCEA CMS) | |
| GORGOL | China | Patrol boat | Obtained in 2016 . CMS from France (LYNCEA CMS) | |
| Aboubekr Ben Amer | France | Patrol boat | Obtained in 1992 | |
| El Nasr | France | Patrol boat | 1[30] | Patra-class |
| Z'bar | Germany | Patrol boat | 1[30] | Neustadt-class |
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