President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani of Mauritania has launched a significant diplomatic offensive, dispatching two high-ranking ministers to Yaoundé within a single week. On June 24, Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf, the Mauritanian Minister of Environment, arrived at the Unity Palace as a special envoy, carrying a sealed message specifically for President Paul Biya. The stated purpose of this high-level visit was to secure Cameroon’s crucial support for Coumba Bâ’s candidacy for the esteemed position of Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).
Confidential message, direct appeal
Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Cameroon’s Minister of State and Secretary-General of the Presidency, received the Mauritanian emissary in the late afternoon, acting on behalf of President Paul Biya, who was not in Yaoundé. The meeting lasted approximately thirty minutes, during which Minister Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf made no attempt to conceal the reason for her diplomatic mission.
“We have delivered a message from the Mauritanian Head of State, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, intended for his brother, President Paul Biya. We presented this message in a sealed envelope to the Secretary-General of the Presidency,” she affirmed to the press following her departure from the Unity Palace.
The arrival of two ministers in Yaoundé within seven days, each bearing a confidential message for President Biya, underscores the formal and intensive nature of Mauritania’s campaign. The preceding visit on June 18 saw Mauritanian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug initiating discussions with an initial message for the Cameroonian Head of State.
Nouakchott is actively championing Coumba Bâ, currently an advisor to the Mauritanian presidency. Minister Bessouda highlighted Cameroon’s significant capacity to influence the “balance between different regions,” a principle Mauritania aims to embody through this particular candidacy.
A history of reciprocity and a win-win vision
This Mauritanian diplomatic approach is not without precedent. In 2025, Cameroon extended its backing to Sidi Ould Tah’s candidacy for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB), a bid that Mauritania ultimately won. Nouakchott now seeks to replicate this successful cooperative model, this time for the OIF leadership.
It is evident that this strategy is built on a clear and openly acknowledged logic of reciprocity. The Mauritanian minister, in fact, emphasized a “win-win partnership” when addressing the media.
Nouakchott’s strategic consultations extend beyond the OIF to include the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). Consequently, Cameroon is being approached on multiple fronts for its diplomatic leverage.
As of now, Yaoundé’s official response and the timeline for its announcement remain undisclosed.
