Mauritania

At the Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in September 2025, Mauritania was granted a third Article 4 deadline extension, until August 2028, to address cluster munition remnants (CMR) in nine hazardous areas located in the northern Tiris Zemmour region, near Bir Moghrein. The area is a remote desert region bordering Western Sahara that is regularly crossed by nomadic populations and gold miners. In 2025, the National Humanitarian Demining Programme for Development (PNDHD) released one area, Dhbeiyatt, by clearing 807,502m² and destroying 52 BLU-63 submunitions. Since resuming operations in 2021, the PNDHD has released around 2.5km² of CMR-contaminated area through technical survey and clearance, using only national funding. Without international financial support, however, clearance is likely to continue at its current pace, which will delay completion well beyond the extended deadline.

• Mauritania should strengthen its resource mobilisation strategy to secure international funding and complete clearance by its third extended Article 4 deadline. Establishing a country coalition of CCM States Parties and donors could help support these resource mobilisation efforts.

• The PNDHD should elaborate a gender and diversity policy for its mine action programme as per the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).

• Mauritania should officially approve its national standard on environmental protection.

Click here to download the full "Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2026" report for Mauritania.