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The western African nation of Mauritania is poised to play a key role in kick-starting the stalled Abraham Accords, a major diplomatic initiative of President Trump, two decades after severing ties with Israel.
Israel’s decisive strikes this year against Iran and its ongoing war on Tehran’s proxies, including the deadly missile attack on Hamas officials meeting Tuesday in Qatar, have strained relations between Israel and many of its Arab neighbors. However, a shake-up of the status quo in the region has become an opportunity for the ambitious leader of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held a discreet meeting on July 9, sparking fresh speculation that Mauritania may be next in line to join the Abraham Accords. The meeting took place in the context of a U.S.-Africa summit.
A similar quiet rendezvous in a Northern Virginia club helped launch the Abraham Accords during the first Trump administration. A move by Mauritania to join the accords would be symbolically powerful and strategically significant for the Trump administration’s goal of expanding the Abraham Accords.
“Although never confirmed, there have been rumors about Mauritania joining the Abraham Accord since the first term of Trump’s administration, but nothing more than speculations and rumors to this day,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South. “With the U.S. influence and interests in the Sahel in decline, entertaining good economic and security relations with Mauritania is one way for the U.S. to maintain some influence in the region, especially with increased competition from Russia and China.”
Mauritania recently joined the club of countries involved in exporting liquefied natural gas, adding to its geopolitical heft.
This isn’t the first courtship between the westernmost member of the Arab League and Israel. In 1999, Mauritania became the third Arab League state, after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994), to formally recognize Israel.
Despite the second Intifada, an Islamist insurgency, a military coup and democratic elections in which Israeli ties were politicized, Mauritania maintained relations with Tel Aviv. Still, those ties didn’t survive Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz’s 2008 coup, which severed relations at Iran’s urging.
The American Jewish Committee previously helped initiate a cancer hospital project in Nouakchott. After the rupture, Iran stepped in to run the facility and transformed it into a rare Iranian medical outpost in the Arab world.
With Mr. Abdel Aziz out of power since 2019, Mr. Ghazouani has proved to be an able diplomat as skilled at negotiating with international powers as he is at dealing with the nomadic notables of Mauritania, a country with more camels than cars. Mr. Ghazouani has steered the country toward stability through pragmatic diplomacy, balancing Persian Gulf allies, Israel and Western donors.
Mauritania is the most stable country in the Sahel, a region plagued by coups and jihadi threats.
“If [Mr. Ghazouani] is coherent in his thinking, he will do what our friends the United Arab Emirates and the Moroccans have done and join the Abraham Accords,” said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, a former Mauritanian foreign minister.
Although Mr. Ould-Abdallah acknowledged Algeria’s likely objections, he noted that Algiers often takes a maverick approach to the Arab League, much like France does in Europe.
Mr. Abdallah noted that Mauritania’s journey toward recognition might proceed more easily once Mr. Netanyahu has left the political stage.
“Bringing Mauritania into the Abraham Accords would extend stability into the Sahel, a region increasingly vulnerable to jihadist extremism, Russian interference and economic fragility,” said former British Defense Secretary Liam Fox. “From a British perspective, deepening these partnerships aligns perfectly with our long-standing commitment to regional security and open trade routes.”
Mr. Fox is also the chairman of the U.K. Abraham Accords Group, which has long advocated for an expansion of the Abraham Accords. Arab members currently comprise Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Mauritania’s northern neighbor, Morocco.
“What matters is sequencing and presentation. If Mauritania positions normalization as part of a broader package for economic development and regional stability, it can reap the benefits,” Mr. Fox said.
The Trump administration is attempting a trade- and investment-based approach to West Africa. The Biden administration’s Africa policy has borne little fruit in the Sahel, where a “coup belt” emerged. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger flipped toward Moscow after military coups, and only Mauritania held the line.
Mauritania was an exception and positioned itself as a regional energy hub, with American investments playing a key role. It occupies a liminal space between the Maghreb and the Sahel, and its economy is potentially pivotal for both regions.
At the center of this effort is the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim, a major liquefied natural gas project. The first phase went online in April. It is projected to export some 2.3 million tons of LNG annually. This project is led jointly by BP, the state energy partners of Mauritania and Senegal, and the American company Kosmos.
“Mauritania has done well, BP Kosmos has done well with this project,” said the executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber.
The project kick-starts Mauritania’s push to develop itself as a regional hub. Most of the LNG goes to Europe, where many economies aim to wean themselves from Russian energy exports.
Mining is another area where Mauritanian companies are keen for U.S. investment. The West African nation is already Africa’s second-largest iron ore producer. The African Development Bank reported that the country produced 14 million tons of iron in 2023. The government plans to more than double production to more than 45 million tons per year by 2030, leveraging its vast untapped 20 billion tons of reserves. Europe and China are the two main markets for its state-owned giant, SNIM.
Mauritania, most of which is in the Sahara desert, holds vast reserves of gold, copper, phosphates and even rare earth elements — critical materials for the industries of tomorrow. Signing the Abraham Accords could open the path for Israeli and new Emirati investment in the country. The UAE remains an essential partner of Mauritania and has invested heavily in the country’s energy infrastructure, notably a solar power plant. Israeli tech, notably in desalination, could greatly benefit Mauritania. Its capital city, Nouakchott, has had severe water shortages this summer.
Mauritania’s relative stability adds to the attractiveness for investors of all stripes. Mr. Ghazouani’s reelection last year with 56% of the vote was no landslide, but in a region beset by political upheaval, it was a triumph of continuity. The election marked Mauritania’s second peaceful election after 2019.
While its neighbors battle Salafi jihadis and separatist militias, Mauritania has had relative peace for more than a decade. The economy has grown by more than 5% annually in the past two years.
“The growing tradition of stable and peaceful elections [in Mauritania] is encouraging,” said Moussa Mara, a former Malian prime minister.
Mr. Ghazouani will need every ally he can get to maintain the country’s trajectory. His neighbors are increasingly pro-Russian and anti-Western. Mauritania has bucked this trend with its president remaining more friendly to NATO member states. Mr. Ghazouani became the first Mauritanian president to visit NATO headquarters in 2021. The country also participates in the annual Flintlock exercise, the largest annual special forces training on the continent, organized by U.S. Africa Command.
Russia’s increased role in the region has also impacted Mauritania. Wagner Group mercenaries crossed into Mauritania in 2024 during a border incident. Several civilians were killed in what Mali’s junta government described as a “hot pursuit” counterterrorism operation. The incident triggered a severe diplomatic flare-up that Mr. Ghazouani managed to diffuse.
The episode, however, underscores how fragile regional security has become and how Russia often exploits chaos for geostrategic gain.
Mauritania’s inclusion in Mr. Trump’s Africa Summit this summer reflects its rising profile. If the nation of 5 million signs the Abraham Accords, it will vindicate Mr. Trump’s Middle East strategy, contrasting with President Biden’s watch when coups and Russian mercenaries spread across the Sahel. If Nouakchott now steps forward to normalize relations with Israel, it will prove that Mr. Trump’s vision for peace and economic growth in the region will shape events long after he leaves office.
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