Mauritanian Authorities Block Access to Critical News Site Anbaa.info Amid Algeria Tensions

Since Friday, August 1st, Mauritanian internet users have been unable to access the news website Anbaa.info, a media outlet known for its critical coverage of Algeria. The blockage comes amid growing concerns over press freedom and state interference in Mauritania.

Cheikh Ahmed Lamine, the publishing director of Anbaa.info, confirmed that the site had been blocked but said that authorities had not provided any official explanation. “For the time being, we have contacted the relevant authorities in Mauritania to understand the reasons for this blockage, but we have not received any official response, neither from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority nor from the bodies in charge of the media and the digital space, such as the High Authority for Press and Audiovisual (HAPA),” he told Yabiladi.

Anbaa.info has previously faced sanctions. In March 2024, the HAPA reprimanded the site for “undermining Algeria,” making it inaccessible to Mauritanian internet users for 60 days. Authorities cited the dissemination of “false information” concerning Algeria as justification.

The outlet’s reporting has drawn criticism from Algerian officials in the past. In January 2023, the Algerian embassy in Nouakchott accused some local press outlets of being “in the pay of an enemy state,” referring to Morocco, and warned that certain journalists were recruited through visas, leisure trips, advertising, and financial inducements.

Observers note that the latest blockage of Anbaa.info follows a long history of pressure on Mauritanian media outlets deemed “hostile” to Algeria, including calls from former Algerian diplomats in 2021 for the HAPA to take action against such outlets, particularly regarding coverage of the Western Sahara issue.

The repeated sanctions and current blockage have raised concerns among journalists and press freedom advocates about censorship and the limits on independent reporting in Mauritania.