Mauritania PM resigns after power outage report

Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay submitted his government’s resignation on Friday, state media reported, after an independent commission criticised failures linked to fires that caused days-long power outages.

The Mauritanian News Agency said Djay submitted the resignation to President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani during a meeting at the presidential palace in Nouakchott.

The move came after Ghazouani received a report on Thursday into two August fires at transformer substations belonging to the Mauritanian Electricity Company in Nouakchott and its suburbs.

The fires broke out less than 24 hours apart on August 21 and 22. They affected large areas of Nouakchott and the towns of Ouad Naga, Idini and Aouleigat, with outages lasting three to five days depending on the location.

The independent commission found “serious shortcomings” in prevention, electrical protection, work supervision and emergency management. It linked the issues to three newly installed power lines.

The commission identified overheating as the most likely cause of the fires and said it found no evidence of sabotage or operational error.

Djay had been appointed in August 2024 at the start of Ghazouani’s second term and was the president’s third prime minister.