After the electricity fires report... the government's resignation in Mauritania

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On Friday, Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Ajay submitted the resignation of his government to President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, without an official announcement of the reasons for the decision or the next steps to form a new government.

The resignation came a day after Al-Ghazouani received the report of the investigation committee into the fires of the Mauritanian Electricity Company "Somalek", which caused widespread disruptions to the electricity supply in the capital, Nouakchott, last summer.

The investigation committee was formed after two fires broke out in the eastern and western transfer stations in Nouakchott last August, which led to widespread power outages in the capital.

The Mauritanian President directed that the report be published and its results made available to public opinion, amid anticipation of what it might reveal about the circumstances of the two fires and the responsibilities associated with them.

However, no direct relationship between the government’s resignation and the results of the investigation has yet been made clear, in the absence of official clarifications regarding the background of the decision.

It is noteworthy that Ould Ajay assumed the presidency of the government in August 2024, coinciding with the start of Ghazouani’s second presidential term. His government lasted about two years and two months, during which it witnessed two ministerial reshuffles.

It is expected that the steps that the Mauritanian president will adopt to form the new government and the priorities for the next phase will become clear in the coming period in light of recent political developments.