Summary:

On 7 April 2026, Algeria and Mauritania signed an agreement in Algiers allowing Algerian vessels access to Mauritanian fishing zones and granting them permits for fishing and resource exploitation.  

The agreement, signed by Algeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, Yacine El-Mahdi Oualid, and Mauritania’s Minister of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure, Mokhtar Ould Ahmed Bouceif, was concluded during the 20th session of the Algeria–Mauritania Joint Commission for Cooperation, held under the supervision of both prime ministers, Sifi Ghrieb and Mokhtar Ould Diay.  

It forms part of the implementation program of the existing cooperation protocol covering fisheries, maritime economy, and aquaculture. The agreement also aims to strengthen scientific cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture between the two countries. 

Outlook: 

While the agreement focuses on economic and maritime cooperation between Algiers and Nouakchott, it can also be read as part of the broader strategic competition between Algeria and Morocco for influence in the Sahel and West Africa.  

The agreement reflects Algeria’s effort to strengthen its ties with Mauritania, a key neighboring country bordering Western Sahara, amid Morocco’s recent diplomatic gains in the region, particularly in Mali. 

While Mauritania maintains a traditionally neutral stance on the Western Sahara issue, the agreement may also serve to keep Nouakchott closely aligned with Algiers and limit any gradual tilt toward Rabat. It underscores the quiet but persistent use of economic and sectoral cooperation as instruments of geopolitical positioning between the two regional rivals.

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