Mauritanian PM reappointed hours after resignation over power outages

NOUAKCHOTT : Mauritania’s prime minister resigned Friday after a scathing report on two major electric facility fires, but he was reappointed hours later and asked to form a new government.

Mokhtar Ould Djay’s resignation after more than two years in office came after President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani received a report Thursday detailing multiple shortcomings leading to the blazes in August.

The two men met later Friday and Ghazouani reappointed him prime minister and tasked him with forming a new government, the official Mauritanian news agency said.

The fires broke out less than 24 hours apart on Aug 21 and 22, striking transformer substations belonging to the Mauritanian Electricity Company (Somelec) in Nouakchott and its suburbs.

The power outages affected large areas of Nouakchott as well as the towns of Ouad Naga, Idini and Aouleigat, and lasted three to five days.

The report by an independent commission outlined “serious shortcomings regarding prevention, electrical protection, work supervision and emergency management”, and linked the issues to three newly installed electrical power lines.

It additionally identified overheating as the most likely scenario leading to the fires and found no evidence of sabotage or operational error.

Somelec announced full restoration at the two substations after approximately five days of repairs.

Djay was Ghazouani’s third prime minister, appointed in August 2024 at the start of Ghazouani’s second term. – AFP