Kawaleria na wielbłądach w Mauretanii - AFP
EN_01652548_0297

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY Eleonore SENS
A member of the Mehariste National Guard unit looks on as he patrols in the Hodh Ech Chargui region, on April 7, 2025. Heirs of units created under French colonisation, these desert cavalrymen have regained a central role in the security strategy of this predominantly desert West African country. To tame the vast territory that shares 2200km of often porous and poorly defined borders with Mali plagued by a jihadist insurgency, Mauritania has relied on the slow pace of the dromedary where even 4x4s get stuck.
The unit was declining a few years ago with only about fifty men due to lack of resources, but since 2019 it has experienced a true revival supported by European Union funding of several million euros. Today, the Nomadic Group consists of about 150 men and a herd of 400 dromedaries. Mauritania has not experienced a jihadist attack since 2011 whereas its neighbour Mali has been mired in conflict for over a decade. (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP)
2025-04-07
PATRICK MEINHARDT/AFP/East News
AFP
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