Mauritania – IOM has launched a two-year (2015 -2017) project, “Enhancing the collective capacity for managing borders and for protecting border communities between Mauritania and Mali,” financed by the Government of Japan through a grant for conflict prevention and peace building of USD 3 million.

The project is implemented by the IOM mission in Mauritania with the support of the IOM mission in Mali, and aims at enhancing the collective capacity for managing borders in order to secure the border area between the two countries. This is obtained through the reinforcement of the capacities of the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST) of Ministry of Interior and Decentralization in Mauritania and the National Directorate of Border Police (DNF) of the Ministry of Interior and Security in Mali.

This will be achieved by fostering and harmonizing coordination mechanisms and procedures. Moreover, the improvement of border security will involve the mobilization of border communities obtained by improving trust with border police.

During the ceremony, the Ambassador of Japan in Mauritania, S.E.M. Jun Yoshida, stated, “We honor our commitment to support the considerable efforts of the Mauritanian Government with regard to the challenges it faces, particularly in the fight against crime and terrorism.”

For its part, M’Hamanda Ould Meimou, General Inspector of the Ministry of Interior and Decentralization, thanked the Japanese Government for its generosity and for the historical cooperation between Japan and Mauritania. He also welcomed IOM's technical expertise in the field of border management.

Anke Strauss, IOM Mauritania's Chief of Mission, highlighted that the project will reinforce the coordination between the border police in Mauritania and Mali as well as the active participation of local communities.

“This support shows the interest of the Japanese Government and the Mauritanian and Malian Governments to work towards a better cooperation for a more effective control of their common borders, through the technical assistance of IOM and the involvement of border communities. "

For further information please contact Flavia Giordani, IOM Mauritania, Tel: Mobile: +222 48156284   Email: fgiordani@iom.int