Earth Science News
AFRICA NEWS
On patrol for jihadists with Mauritania's camel cavalry
On patrol for jihadists with Mauritania's camel cavalry
By Eleonore Sens
Achemime, Mauritania (AFP) May 23, 2025

A posse of turban-clad soldiers perched on "ships of the desert" may conjure images of the past but Mauritania's camelback cavalry plays a vital role in the fight against jihadism today.

They are the Meharists, heirs to the camel-riding army units founded back in the time when imperialist France ruled the west African nation, whom AFP accompanied on patrol for two days.

Kalashnikovs lay slung over the soldiers' shoulders, while a brand new drone sliced through the burning Saharan air in the southeast of the country.

To the east over a porous and at points ill-defined 2,200-kilometre (1,370-mile) border lies Mali, which along with its Sahel neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger is riven by violence from jihadist groups.

To tame the immense, mainly desert territory, Mauritania has turned to the dromedary camel, a handy navigator of sandy terrain that would defeat offroad vehicles.

"The nomadic group can be deployed in very remote or hard-to-reach areas to ensure the state has a presence there," said National Guard unit commander Colonel Moulaye al-Bashir.

The strategy seems to be bearing some fruit. Mauritania has not suffered a jihadist attack since 2011.

- Saharan 'sedan' -

Until a few years ago the desert riders' unit was in decline, numbering barely 50 men.

Since 2019 it has enjoyed a renaissance, and today the "Nomad Group" boasts around 150 riders as well as a herd of 400 camels.

The Meharists have been buoyed by a grant of several million euros from the European Union -- which has an interest in maintaining Mauritania's stability in an otherwise unstable region, one European diplomat told AFP.

On this particular morning, around 15 camelback troops out on exercise made their way between thorny bushes and the dunes.

Guided by instructions bawled into a crackling walkie-talkie, the drill of the day was in how to use their drone to help them spot and arrest a cattle thief.

The riders owe much to the one-humped dromedary, or Arabian camel.

Indefatigable and able to go for several weeks without either eating or drinking, the dromedaries are essentially a Sahara "sedan", joked Lieutenant Colonel Ekar Sidi, who commands the group, which forms part of the National Guard.

From atop his mount, Colonel al-Bashir hailed the "impression of freedom" the dromedaries afford the group of riders.

"For us men of the desert it really is just indispensable -- we use it as a mount, for its milk, its meat."

- 'Bond of trust' -

More than 1,000 kilometres from the capital Nouakchott, in the landlocked region of Hodh Ech Chargui near the Malian border, the Meharists have the task of gathering intelligence.

Hodh Ech Chargui has seen waves of people cross over from Mali, with the Mbera camp currently home to around 140,000 Malian refugees, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Many more are thought to live beyond the camp perimeter, fleeing both jihadist fighters and the threat of abuse by the Malian army or their Russian mercenary allies.

Much of the region's inhabitants are from nomadic tribes, who crisscross borders towards potential breeding grounds for jihadist recruitment with their herds in tow.

The Meharists' presence is just one way the Mauritanian authorities are hoping to show the nomads that the state is there.

In order to blend in, the mounted group's members were recruited from among the Bedouin tribes, while the riders attempt to build bridges with the desert's hardy inhabitants.

"By taking care of livestock, tracking down cattle thieves, finding lost animals which are returned to their owners -- this is how the bond of trust was established," Colonel al-Bashir said.

Brigadier Mbeurik Massoud and his four men had meanwhile just set up camp for the night. Tea was served and a fire lit as the relative nighttime cool settled over the Sahara.

Massoud has been patrolling the region since joining the guard in 1989.

"We have come to inform the population of what is happening at the level of the state. We give them treatment and provide medicine," Colonel al-Bashir said.

- Control water, control the desert -

Those wishing to cross the desert must do so along a series of wells built by the Mauritanian government at key points along the Meharists' patrol routes.

"Whoever controls the water points controls the desert," Colonel al-Bashir said.

Besides making it easier for the state and locals to track those attempting to make their way into Mauritania from Mali, the wells have also encouraged nomadic populations to settle down.

During the inspection of one desert water tower, project engineer Adama Diallo proudly noted that "in 2017, there was not even a hut".

"Today, there are 50 to 60 families. That's an achievement," he said.

Recently the government built a small medical facility, saving its inhabitants the several-hundred-kilometre trek to the nearest town.

For life can be tough for the Bedouin who call these sandstorm-battered plateaux home, where temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

"Here, it is a long way from the main roads -- we have no network, no cars, no shops," said one local, Boddeh Woul Cheikd, a woman in her 50s, her face veiled.

With Mauritania maintaining an ever-watchful eye on its citizens, the country's success in fighting jihadism cannot be attributed to the dromedary riders' presence alone, nor to development projects in its desert regions.

Yet other Sahel countries, including unrest-hit Chad and Niger, appear to have taken a keen interest in the Mauritanian approach.

Colonel al-Bashir said he hoped to soon train other Meharist units in the area and spread the joy of the "Mauritanian experience" in the camel's saddle.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Six dead in ICoast landslide after heavy rain
Abidjan (AFP) May 21, 2025
Six people died in an overnight landslide after torrential rain in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan, a government minister and emergency workers said. Heavy rainfall is typical in Ivory Coast from May through to late July and landslides and flooding are common with dozens of fatalities annually. "We learned mid-morning of the initial damage caused by last night's rain in Abidjan," national cohesion minster Myss Belmonde Dogo wrote on her Facebook page. She reported a landslide affecting three ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
Syria and Chinese company sign memorandum on investment

Landslide at gold mine in Indonesia's east kills six, 14 missing

At least 19 trapped in southwest China landslides: state media

Syria gives holdout armed groups deadline to join state forces

AFRICA NEWS
Rare earth production outside China 'major milestone'

Vietnam jails 23 people over rare earths exploitation

TAU Systems Secures Exclusive Beam Time on World's Most Powerful Laser for Advanced Particle Research

Nvidia unveils plan for Taiwan's first 'AI supercomputer'

AFRICA NEWS
Tokyo to waive basic water bills to combat extreme heat

Healing Ozone Hole Key to Boosting Southern Ocean Carbon Uptake

'Serious problem': Afghan capital losing race against water shortages

Villagers vow to fight new Panama Canal reservoir 'to the end'

AFRICA NEWS
Mountain Glaciers Face Centuries-Long Recovery Even if Warming Reversed

Biodiversity boom in Antarctic soils driven by microbial cooperation

Krypton-81 Dating Achieved for Antarctic Ice by USTC Researchers

The surprising climate power of penguin poo

AFRICA NEWS
Reawakening Ancient Crops to Address Modern Climate Challenges

Kenyan trial challenges law against seed sharing

After Catastrophe Urban and Peri-Urban Farming Could Sustain Medium-Sized Cities

China, EU suspend Brazil chicken imports over bird flu

AFRICA NEWS
Flood victims stranded on roofs as downpours lash eastern Australia

US braces for intense hurricane season as climate agency is gutted

6.1-magnitude quake hits off Greek island of Crete: USGS

Pro-Russian groups spread false claims after Spain floods: report

AFRICA NEWS
Somalia climate shocks and aid cuts create perfect storm

US says Sudan used chemical weapons, imposes sanctions

Six dead in ICoast landslide after heavy rain

Nigeria army head vows to counter jihadist attacks

AFRICA NEWS
Orangutan Communication Reveals Surprising Complexity Once Thought Uniquely Human

Ancient Hands Reveal Diverse Gripping Abilities in Early Hominins

Hormone cycles shape the structure and function of key memory regions in the brain

Chimpanzees Use Medicinal Plants for Wound Care and Hygiene in Ugandan Forests

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.