Morocco Opens New Border Crossing with Mauritania at Amgala

Doha – Morocco is putting the finishing touches on a new border crossing with Mauritania at Amgala, with construction now more than 95% complete.

This second land connection between the two countries represents a strategic shift in regional politics and trade routes across the Sahara.

The 93-kilometer road infrastructure connecting Smara to the Mauritanian border through Amgala and Tifariti has cost MAD 49.7 million (approximately $5 million).

Regional Director Samih Zemmari confirms the project comprises four road sections, with the final 53-kilometer stretch of National Road 17 nearing 88% completion at a cost of MAD 28.23 million.

The first three sections, totaling 40 kilometers, were completed on schedule between 2017 and 2023, with investments of MAD 7 million (2017), MAD 9.54 million (2022), and MAD 4.92 million (2023). Final horizontal and vertical signage work is currently being completed across all sections.

A roadside station covering 3,600 square meters will serve travelers at a construction cost of MAD 900,000. The station will include various facilities such as a mosque, functional housing, a café, and sanitary facilities.

Smara Province Governor Brahim Boutoumilate has also launched a new first-class taxi service connecting Smara and Amgala via Agida region, improving mobility within the province.

On the Mauritanian side, Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Al Amine officially designated eight border crossings with Morocco in decree number 00129 dated February 11, significantly expanding from the single crossing at Guerguerat.

The new crossings include Tmeimichatt in Chami district, Al Kalb in Zouérat, three points in Fderîck district (Fderîck, Cheggât, and Touâjîl), and two in Aïn Ben Tili district (Aïn Ben Tili and Bir Moghrein).

For the separatist Polisario Front, which clings to its baseless claims over Morocco’s rightful sovereignty in Western Sahara, these developments mark yet another crushing blow—a de facto recognition by Mauritania of Morocco’s undisputed control over the territory.

The separatist group previously attacked the buffer zone at Guerguerat in 2020, resulting in casualties among their fighters following a Moroccan military response, primarily through drone strikes.

Morocco’s Atlantic corridor

The Amgala crossing forms part of King Mohammed VI’s “Atlantic Initiative,” designed to provide landlocked Sahel countries with access to the Atlantic Ocean.

Fatima Saida, president of the Amgala commune, describes the project as “a logistical bridge” between Morocco, Mauritania and the wider African continent, and “a cornerstone strategy in enabling landlocked African countries to access the Atlantic Ocean through the southern provinces.”

The timing is telling, coming shortly after Mauritania refused to join Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s proposal for an “alternative Maghreb Union” excluding Morocco.

The countries are strengthening bilateral ties, evidenced by Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani’s meeting with King Mohammed VI at the Royal Palace in Casablanca on December 20, 2024.

During this meeting, both leaders affirmed their “determination to develop strategic connection projects between the neighboring countries” and coordinate their contributions to royal initiatives in Africa, particularly the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline and facilitating Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic.

On 23 January, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, signed a memorandum of understanding with Mauritanian Minister of Energy and Petroleum Mohamed Ould Khalid to develop partnership in electricity and renewable energy.

This was followed on February 4 by an agreement in Nouakchott between the Director General of Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water, Tarik Hamane, and the Director General of the Mauritanian Electricity Company, Sidi Salem Mohaned Elabd, to implement electrical interconnection between the two countries.

The Mauritanian National Assembly was among parliaments from 20 African countries that recently signed the “Rabat Declaration” supporting the launch of the “Atlantic African States Process” and committing to the Moroccan Atlantic Initiative.

The signatories emphasized “the fundamental principles that should govern relations between African states, specifically respect for state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the integrity of their territories as the cornerstone of international relations.”

Morocco has effectively extended control over large parts of the area behind its defensive sand wall, limiting the presence of Polisario separatists largely to Tindouf in Algeria.

The project will reduce transportation times while creating economic opportunities for communities along the route, particularly in Amgala and Tifariti.

This strategic corridor aims to boost regional trade, create jobs, and enhance stability in border communities while cementing Morocco’s position as a gateway between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad have all expressed support for this initiative that offers them potential new routes to global markets through Atlantic access.