Mauritania - IOM has donated equipment and materials to enhance Mauritania’s immigration and border management capacity. The handover ceremony in Nouakchott was part of a European Union-funded IOM project: “Strengthening migration management in Mauritania through a better border management strategy and assistance to irregular migrants”.

The donation – including textbooks, document verification kits, passport readers, high frequency radios and first aid kits – was presented to the Mauritanian gendarmerie and police in the presence of representatives of the Delegation of the European Union, the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Gendarmerie, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), the Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DST), and services of the Ministry of Interior and Decentralization (MIDEC).

Since the beginning of the project in January 2014, IOM has constructed six border posts and trained over 250 police officers and gendarmes. “As part of our activities, police officers and gendarmes were trained in the field of border management, human rights and migrants’ rights, first aid, document fraud and IT,” said IOM project manager Laura Palatini.

“Border management is not only based on human skills, but also requires technical support. That is why we are happy today, thanks to funding from the European Union, to contribute to the strengthening of Mauritania’s services in this area by providing essential equipment to meet this objective,” added IOM Mauritania Chief of Mission Anke Strauss.

IOM has been involved in border management in Mauritania since 2006. It has constructed over 20 border posts, equipped around 30 and trained over 320 officials.

For further information, please contact Laurent De Castelli at IOM Mauritania, Tel: + +222 48 57 91 55, Email: ldecastelli@iom.int.