Mauritania gov’t denies involvement in visit of RSF adviser

The Mauritanian government has denied any connection to the recent visit of Mohamed Al-Mukhtar, the political and legal adviser to the commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to the country, according to RT Arabic.

Minister of Culture and government spokesperson, El-Houssein Ould Meddou, stated during a press conference in Nouakchott yesterday evening that Al-Mukhtar’s arrival in Mauritania was not in any official capacity, but was a “private visit based on a personal invitation.”

He stressed that “the government did not invite the political adviser to the commander of Sudan’s RSF.”

Mohamed Al-Mukhtar reportedly took part in events organised by a religious body affiliated with the general caliphate of the Qadiriyya order in West Africa. He also attended a religious gathering last Friday in the village of Nimjatt, located in the Trarza region in western Mauritania.

The visit has sparked considerable controversy and public outcry in Mauritania, with demands for the government to take action to expel Al-Nour. He is accused of being linked to “genocidal crimes against Sudanese civilians” due to his alleged involvement in the armed rebellion led by the RSF in Sudan.

READ: UN chief ‘appalled’ by escalating violence, displacement in Sudan’s North Darfur