Mauritanian Government Resigns Following Damning Inquiry Into Power Outages

Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djiay has resigned following an independent inquiry report that blamed severe government and infrastructural oversights for major electrical fires in Nouakchott.

Key points

• The independent investigation committee was led by former Finance Minister Ousmane Mamoudou Kane.
• The fires, which occurred on August 21 and 22 at Société mauritanienne d’électricité facilities, plunged parts of the capital into darkness for several days.
• The inquiry report highlighted severe insufficiencies in prevention, protection, work control, and emergency management.
• The report estimated new cable costs at over 9 million dollars and advised freezing related construction payments.

Why it matters

The mass resignation highlights government accountability and operational risks tied to critical public utilities in Mauritania following major infrastructural failures.