Algeria courts Mauritanian media with press house promise

Algeria appears to be seeking to mend relations with some sectors of the Mauritanian press, offering the construction of a new press house in Nouakchott as a gesture of goodwill.

The announcement came on Thursday from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the ceremony to launch the construction of the Tindouf-Zouerate road. Tebboune entrusted the project to the Algerian ambassador in Mauritania and emphasized his desire for «swift» completion.

This initiative appears to be a strategic move to appease tensions with certain media outlets in Mauritania whose editorial lines have reportedly irritated Algeria. In January 2023, the Algerian embassy in Nouakchott accused these outlets of being «in the pay of an enemy state» likely referring to Morocco. Their press release further described these journalists as «mercenaries of the pen» lacking credibility and influence.