Mr Yacoub Salem Vall, Minister Delegate to the Minister for the Interior, the Promotion of Decentralization and Local Development (in charge of decentralization and local development), supervised on Tuesday in Nouakchott, alongside Mr Dahid Ould El Ghassem, Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action and Relations with Civil Society, the opening of a workshop dedicated to launching the activities of two networks of mayors: one dedicated to migration and asylum, and the other to promote the culture of citizenship, social cohesion and civil peace.
Organized by the Association of Mayors of Mauritania with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, this workshop aims to operationalize these two networks and examine their respective roadmaps. The aim is to strengthen the role of municipalities in implementing the national migration strategy and in anchoring the values of citizenship and social cohesion.
In his speech, the Deputy Minister stressed that migration and asylum are a multidimensional issue where security, economic, social and humanitarian considerations intersect.
He also stressed the crucial role of municipalities in accompanying national policies, particularly in border areas.
He explained that the government has adopted a comprehensive approach to migration management since mid-2022. This led to the granting of free and regular residence permits to some 136,000 foreigners of 85 nationalities and the opening of 29 new border crossing points, bringing the total to 82. This approach also included launching a visa system, strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries and setting up temporary accommodation centres in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou.
He stressed that this approach reconciles the preservation of State security, respect for the dignity of migrants and the needs of the most vulnerable groups, stating that the implementation of the network of mayors dedicated to migration and asylum enhances coordination between authorities, municipalities and local communities.
Mr Yacoub Salem Vall also stressed the importance of the network of mayors working for the culture of citizenship, the promotion of social cohesion and civil peace. This network plays a key role in anchoring the values of national unity, equality and equity, combating discrimination and exclusion, as well as strengthening coexistence between the different components of society, in line with the presidential guidelines calling for a change of mentality and the anchoring of inclusive citizenship.
For his part, the President of the Association of Mayors of Mauritania (AMM), Mr. Bamba Ould Dermane, stated that the creation of these two networks is part of the contribution of local elected representatives to the building of an inclusive national state. This State embraces the ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of Mauritanian society, making a lever to strengthen national unity and strengthen the foundations of the modern state.
He added that the Mauritanian people have, over the centuries of coexistence, anchored the values of fraternity and solidarity, building on a common religion, shared destiny and authentic national identity.
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He called on the mayors to continue their efforts to build a secure and prosperous Mauritania, bringing together all its children and proud of its Arab, African and Islamic identity, thus consolidating national unity and dedicating security, stability and prosperity.
For their part, the mayor of Tevragh Zeina (president of the “Amal” network) and the mayor of Doueirara (president of the network of mayors responsible for migration and refugees) stressed the importance of launching the activities of the “Migration and Asylum” network and the revitalization of the “Citizenship” network, because of their role in supporting national efforts to achieve the objectives set in these two areas.
For their part, representatives of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed the willingness of their respective institutions to continue cooperation with Mauritanian authorities, mayors and various partners in order to support efforts to achieve national objectives related to migration and asylum and to strengthen social cohesion.
They also welcomed the efforts of the Mauritanian authorities to protect the rights of migrants and refugees, and called on the international community to continue to support Mauritania and to support its efforts in this area.