Mauritania: Barriers to NGO Registration and Crackdown on Unregistered Organizations

The process of registering civil society organizations in Mauritania remains fraught with administrative hurdles, with many NGOs left in limbo due to the state’s discretionary approval system.

Under current regulations, associations require express authorization from the government to be legally recognized. However, many organizations have faced indefinite delays without receiving any official reason for the rejection or prolonged processing of their applications. Despite repeated commitments from officials to reform the registration system, no concrete steps have been taken to address the issue.

Some organizations, such as IRA-Mauritania, which has been advocating against slavery, have applied for registration as far back as 2011 but remain unrecognized. As of July 2020, the group continues to operate without official status and frequently encounters restrictions imposed by the authorities. Similar limitations apply to other civil society groups, reinforcing concerns about shrinking civic space and the repression of unregistered organizations.