Mauritanian Prime Minister Resigns and Returns After Power Crisis
Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay resigned and was immediately reappointed by President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani following a report on major electricity facility fires.
Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay resigned on Friday after an independent commission released a scathing report regarding two major electricity facility fires that occurred in August. Hours after the resignation, President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani reappointed Djay and tasked him with forming a new government.
The fires broke out on August 21 and 22 at transformer substations belonging to the Mauritanian Electricity Company in Nouakchott and its suburbs. The incidents caused power outages lasting three to five days across the capital and the towns of Ouad Naga, Idini, and Aouleigat.
The commission's report identified overheating and the use of electrical connectors that failed to meet technical standards as the primary causes. It cited serious shortcomings in prevention, electrical protection, work supervision, and emergency management. While the report ruled out sabotage or operational error, it held the Ministry of Energy and a private importing company responsible for the failures.
