2023 Nouakchott prison break

At 21:00 local time (GMT) a mutiny occurred at the Nouakchott Civil Prison, located in the Tevragh Zeina district of the city. During the mutiny two guards were killed and two others were injured as the mutiny was later revealed to be a prison break operation organised by Salafist convicts condemned for terrorism and belonging to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), who were able to use firearms after seizing one from the guards.^[1][4]

The Gendarmerie Nationale proceeded to clear and restrict access to key buildings in downtown Nouakchott, including the Central Bank, the National Assembly and Radio Mauritanie,^[5] while the Armed Forces restricted access to major streets of the capital and the Presidential Palace.^[6] President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was not in the country, as he was touring the Gulf Countries.^[7][8]

At 23:00, news agencies confirmed that at least two Salafist prisoners managed to escape the prison following a confrontation with the guards who supervise the prison, with two being wounded. It was also confirmed that the Army deployed forces in the vicinity of the prison and government buildings, while the Presidential Guard forces surrounded the vicinity of the Presidential Palace.^[9] Major military leaders also arrived to the prison shortly after.^[10]

The number of fugitives was at first reported to be two, with it later increasing to three^[11] and finally four after a statement from the Ministry of Interior, which confirmed that the authorities retook control of the prison and asked for citizens' cooperation in tracking down the fugitives.^[12]

• Saleck Ould Cheikh (born 1984 in Atar), a terrorist sentenced to death for planning an assassination attempt against ex-President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz through the 2011 Nouakchott bombing. He previously escaped prison in 2015 and managed to leave the country, with him being arrested in Guinea-Bissau and returned to prison in Nouakchott in 2016.^{[13][14][15][16]}
• Mohamed Rassoul Ould Chbih, a terrorist sentenced to death due to his participation in a 2008 AQMI terrorist operation known as the Tourine Operation, in which 12 soldiers were killed.^[16][17][18]
• Mohamed Yeslem Mohamed Mahmoud, in jail since 2020, sentenced to ten years for "attempting to join a group with the aim of committing terrorist crimes".^[16]
• Abdellarim Abubakr Siddiq Ebattna in jail since 2021, sentenced to seven years for "attempting to join a group with the aim of committing terrorist crimes" and "receiving training abroad".^[16]

The Minister of National Defence, Hanena Ould Sidi, chaired a security meeting with top military leaders, including the chiefs of staff, which elaborated a plan to track down the fugitive terrorists.^[14]

A car with one of its wheels broken allegedly used by the fugitive terrorists was found by security forces at around 23:30 in the El Mouqawama crossroad in the Dar Naïm suburb in north-eastern Nouakchott, with it containing a piece of a weapon inside. The Police and National Guard immediately cordoned off the location while waiting for the public prosecutor to arrive for its inspection.^[19]

On 6 March 2023, the Gendarmerie opened fire at a car near the bridge connecting the Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport to the Nouakchott-Nouadhibou road at around 8 am.^[20] Security forces later raided a house in Dar Naïm at the evening and detained two individuals.^[21] Security forces later raided a house in Dar Naïm at the evening and detained two individuals.^[22]

On 11 March 2023, Mauritanian authorities confirmed that joint armed forces and anti-terror gendarmerie units tracked the four escaped prisoners to a rugged mountainous area in the Adrar region after intelligence-led searches involving air and ground coordination. During the operation, a firefight broke out when the fugitives opened fire on security forces, resulting in the death of one gendarme and intense clashes in the desert terrain. Three of the escapees were killed during the confrontation, while the fourth was captured alive and taken into custody.^[23]Three weeks later, Mauritanian police announced that they had arrested a man believed to be the orchestrator of the escape.^[24]