Mali–Mauritania relations refer to the

interstate relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

of the Republic of Mali and the

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

History

Since Mauritania negotiated a boundary dispute with Mali in 1963, ties between the two countries have been mostly cordial.Handloff, Robert E. "Relations with Other African States". I
''Mauritania: A Country Study''
(Robert E. Handloff, editor).

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...

(June 1988). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.'' Mali and Mauritania have cooperated on several development projects, such as the OMVS and a plan to improve roads between

Nouakchott Nouakchott ( ) is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania. Once a ...

and

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

. This cooperation somewhat lessened Mali's dependence on

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

and

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

. Although relations were warm with other African states, since 1965 the orientation of Mauritania's foreign policy has been geared towards relations with

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

n countries.

Border crisis

Mauritanian and Malian relations arose in 2010, when French and Mauritanian forces launched a joint military operation against AQIM fighters believed to be holding a French hostage on Malian soil without the consent of the Malian government. The operation was a failure and left 7 AQIM members and 2 Mauritanian soldiers dead, with the hostage being executed. The operation was heavily criticized with it being considered to be an "unannounced declaration of war" against Mali.

Current status

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mali-Mauritania Relations

Bilateral relations of Mauritania