Madar (Nouakchott) - Mauritania's Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication and Relations with Parliament and government spokesperson, Mohamed Ould Bebbana, issued a circular on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, requiring officials in his department to use Arabic in all letters, notes, reports and documents addressed to his office, a day after he took over from El Houssein Ould Meddou, local news sites reported.
The circular is addressed to the ministry's secretary-general, the secretary-general of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, special advisers, the national heritage curator, central directors and the heads of institutions under the ministry, and takes effect from its signature. According to the circulated text, it covers only documents addressed to the minister's office, not the public administration as a whole.
It is not the first such measure: in July 2025, Economy and Finance Minister Sid'Ahmed Ould Bouh required his department's correspondence to Mauritanian ministries and bodies to be written exclusively in Arabic, and in November 2025 the secretary-general of the livestock ministry required Arabic for correspondence submitted for his signature.
Article 6 of the Constitution states that "the national languages are Arabic, Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof" and that "the official language is Arabic".
The circular has revived debate over the language of administration. An opinion piece published by the Alwiam agency welcomed it and urged other ministries to follow suit, arguing that the issue is not about ranking the components of Mauritanian society but about respecting the constitutional status of Arabic while preserving linguistic diversity.
By contrast, an opinion piece published by Cridem called the decision legitimate but said it raised a question of consistency with Mauritania's candidacy of Coumba Ba for secretary-general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, asking how the promotion of Arabic can be reconciled with the place of French.
On the same day, the University of Nouakchott, in the presence of the French ambassador, launched an action plan to strengthen the teaching of French and teaching in French under its partnership with the French embassy, including training for lecturers and students and curriculum development, the Alwiam agency reported.
