The Armed Forces of Mauritania (, ) are the defense force of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, having an army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and presidential guard. Other services include the national guard and national police, though they both are subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior. As of 2018, the Mauritanian armed forces budget was 3.9% of the country's GDP.

The military forces of Mauritania were listed by the IISS Military Balance 2007 as comprising 15,870 personnel with an additional 5,000 paramilitaries, in the national gendarmerie.IISS Military Balance 2007, pp. 235–6 The Navy (Marine Mauritanienne) had 620 personnel and 11 patrol and coastal combatants, with bases at Nouadhibou and Nouakchott. The CIA reported that the navy included naval infantry. The small air force (Force Aérienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) had 250 personnel, 2 FTB-337 aircraft, 15 transport aircraft of various types, and 4 SF-260E trainers. The 5,000 paramilitaries were divided in the National Gendarmerie (3,000), and the National Guard (2,000) who both reported to the Ministry of the Interior. Other paramilitary services reported by the CIA in 2001 include the National Police, Presidential Guard (BASEP).Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2001

History

Saleh Ould Hanenna, a former army major, led the 2003 Mauritanian coup d'état attempt in June 2003. It aimed to overthrow President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. He commanded a rebel section of the Army during two days of heavy fighting in Nouakchott. With the failure of the coup Hanenna initially escaped capture, and formed a group called the 'Knights of Change' with Mohamed Ould Cheikhna, but they were arrested on 9 October 2004."MAURITANIA: Government arrests mastermind behind coup plots", IRIN Africa, 12 October 2004.

General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, a career soldier and high-ranking officer, was a leading figure in the 2005 Mauritanian coup d'état that deposed President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya.

In August 2008, General Ould Abdel Aziz led the 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état that toppled President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Following the latter coup, Abdel Aziz became President of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election."Le Haut Conseil d'Etat rend public un nouveau communiqué" , AMI, 7 August 2008 . He resigned from that post in April 2009 to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election, which he won. He was sworn in on 5 August 2009., AFP, 5 August 2009.

Army

In March 1985, the Defense Intelligence Agency reported the army was 8,300 strong with no reserves (Military Intelligence Summary – Africa South of the Sahara, DDB 2680-104-85, ICOD 15 October 1984, Mauritania pages 4, 5, declassified by letter dated 29 April 2014). Reported regions at the time were Region I – Nouadhibou, Region II – Zoueirat, Region III – Atar, Region IV – formerly at Tidjikdja, which no longer existed, Region V – Nema, Region VI – Nouakchott, and Region VII – Rosso. The army was organized into the six regions which each supervised several companies, though there was 'one small autonomous infantry battalion stationed in Nouakchott.

The Army is 15,000 strong, according to the IISS, with six military regions, two camel corps battalions, one battalion of T-55 battle tanks, one armored reconnaissance squadron, eight garrison infantry battalions, seven motorized infantry battalions, one commando/para battalion, 3 artillery battalions, 4 air defense batteries, one engineer company, and one guard battalion. The 1ère région militaire is at Nouadhibou, 2nd Military Region is at Zouerate, 3rd Military Region is at Atar, 4ème région militaire may be at Tidjikdja, 5th Military Region headquarters is at Néma, The 6th Military Region may be in the area of the capital, and the 7th Military Region may be at Aleg.

The Mauritanian military is currently involved in Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara. Previous U.S. anti-terrorist engagement included training under the Pan Sahel Initiative. Under the PSI, a 10th Special Forces Group training team carried out a one-week border monitoring training programme in January 2004.Jane's Defence Weekly, 21 January 2004, p.19

The IISS listed equipment in 2007 as including 35 T-55 main battle tanks, 70 reconnaissance vehicles (20 Panhard AML-60, 40 Panhard AML-90, 10 Alvis Saladin), 25 wheeled APCs (estimate 20 Panhard M3 and 5 Alvis Saracen), 194 artillery pieces (80 towed: 36 HM-2/M-101, 20 D-30, 24 D-74; 114 mortars: 60 60-mm, 30 Brandt 120-mm), 24 MILAN ATGM, 114 recoilless rocket launchers (est. 90 M-40A1 106mm, est 24 M-20 75mm), est 50 RPG-7 Knout, 104 SAMs (est 100 SA-7 Grail, and a reported 4 SA-9 Gaskin), and 82 towed anti-aircraft guns (14.5mm, including 12 ZPU-4, ZU-23-2, 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K), 12 57 mm AZP S-60, and 12 100mm KS-19s).IISS 2007, p.236

Equipment Name Image Caliber Type Origin Notes Pistols MAC-50 9×19mm Semi-automatic pistol Standard issue pistol. TT-33 7.62×25mm Semi-automatic pistol Submachine guns FN P90 FN 5.7×28mm Submachine gunPersonal defense weapon MAT-49 9×19mm Submachine gun Star Model Z-45 9×23mm Submachine gun Rifles SKS 7.62×39mm Semi-automatic rifle AKM 7.62×39mm Assault rifle MAS-49/56 7.5×54mm Semi-automatic rifle MAS-36 7.5×54mm Bolt-action rifle Heckler & Koch G3 7.62×51mm Battle rifle French-made G3s. Machine guns PKM 7.62×54mmR General-purpose machine gun Browning M1919 .30-06 Medium machine gun Browning M2 .50 BMG Heavy machine gun AA-52 7.5×54mm General-purpose machine gun Sniper rifles FR F1 7.5×54mm Sniper rifle Grenade launchers RPG-7 40 mm Rocket-propelled grenade 50 Tanks, Armoured Vehicles, and Reconnaissance Vehicles T-55 51 in service ERC-90 18 in service Panhard AML-60 20 in service Panhard AML-90 39 in service Alvis Saladin 40 in service Panhard M3 20 in service Alvis Saracen 5 in service Panhard EBR 75 15 in retired Artillery and Mortar D-74 20 in service D-30 20 in service M101A1 35 in service 60-mm Mortar 60 in service Brandt 120-mm Mortar 30 in service Anti-Tank missiles and rockets MILAN ATGM 24 in service M40 recoilless rifle 90 in service M20 recoilless rifle 24 in service SAMs and Anti-aircraft guns SA-7 Grail 100 in service SA-9 Gaskin 4 in service Yitian-L Some in service Towed anti-aircraft guns 82 in service (including 12 ZPU-4, ZU-23-2, 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)). 57 mm AZP S-60 12 in service 100mm KS-19 12 in service.

Among reported special forces units are: 1er Bataillon de Commandos Parachutistes (1er BCP) 2eme Bataillon de Commandos Parachutistes (2eme BCP) Bataillon de la Securite Presidentielle (BASEP) Bataillon Special d'Intervention (BSI) (GSI)

Air Force

After achieving independence in 1960 the Faidem (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie) was supplied equipment by France, such as C-47s and MH.1521 Broussards, which was later replaced by the Britten-Norman BN-2A Defender between 1976 and 1978 and had operated as a transport and observation squadron in the Western Sahara War.World aircraft information files Bright Star Publishing London File 337 Sheet 4 During the same time two Cessna 337s and two DHC-5 Buffalo STOL transports were supplied in 1977 and 1978 with one DHC-5 crashing almost immediately and the other being returned to De Havilland Canada in 1979. After the Polisario Front shot down one Defender and damaged two in 1978 the Mauritanian government ordered six IA-58 Pucarás for ground attack duties from Argentina; this order was later cancelled after a Mauritanian military coup.

The Air Force School was created in Atar. It was founded to train pilots, mechanics, other crewmen for the Air Force.

More recent procurements have been from China in the form of the Harbin Y-12 II turboprop transports were delivered in September 1995, one crashed in April 1996. A second one crashed on 12 July 2012. The Xian Y7-100C (a copy of the AN-24 transport) was delivered from October 1997, which crashed in May 1998. The Air Force had also recently received their order of several Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano aircraft.

Navy Mauritania has developed a five-year plan to develop its navy into a force that is capable of defending the country's 235,000 km squared exclusive economic zone, Admiral Isselkou Ould Cheik El-Weli said during a promotion ceremony held at the Nouadhibou naval base in late May 2017. The Saharamedias.net website reported that the plan includes the acquisition of two 60-meter vessels, which are currently under construction, and "mid-sized ships", as well as the formation of three companies of marines. No further details were provided.

The Mauritanian Navy was created on 25 January 1966, after the extension of Mauritania's territorial waters from . By 1972 the navy had one small patrol gunboat and two small patrol craft that performed port control and customs duties. In 1987 the navy had thirteen boats. Of these boats, only eight were seaworthy, and the navy could send only two vessels out to open water at a time. Mauritania's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extended out from the coast, but even if effective coastal surveillance were possible, the navy's vessels would not be able to control Mauritania's waters. Nouadhibou housed the major naval base; Nouakchott housed a secondary base.

Ship inventory

Vessel Origin Type In service Notes LIMAM EL HADRAMI China Patrol boat Obtained in 2001 TIMBEDRA China Patrol boat Obtained in 2016 . CMS from France (LYNCEA CMS) GORGOL China Patrol boat Obtained in 2016 . CMS from France (LYNCEA CMS) Aboubekr Ben Amer France Patrol boat Obtained in 1992 El Nasr France Patrol boat 1Trade Registers. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved on 8 January 2018 Patra-class Z'bar Germany Patrol boat 1 Neustadt-class

See also Chief of National Army Staff (Mauritania)

References

Works cited

External links Mauritanian National Army's Official Website :ar:الجيش الوطني الموريتاني Article in French