Madar (Nouakchott) - President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani took part on Sunday, 15 November 2026, in the opening ceremony of the 20th Francophonie summit, being held in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, according to the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI).
According to the same source, the summit is discussing a number of issues of common interest to member states, chief among them strengthening peace and international cooperation, supporting sustainable development and electing the secretary-general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie for a new four-year term.
The summit runs on 15 and 16 November under the theme "Reinvesting in peace for shared prosperity and lasting stability". The secretary-general is due to be elected on Monday in a closed session of heads of state and government, with the result announced at the closing session, according to the programme published by Financial Afrik.
The vote matters particularly for Mauritania: the president's special envoy to the Francophonie, Coumba Ba, is running for the post against outgoing secretary-general Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda, former Romanian prime minister Dacian Cioloș and Congolese candidate Juliana Lumumba, whose candidacy Kinshasa said on Saturday it was ready to withdraw in favour of a consensus choice.
For the first time, the secretary-general will be chosen by a vote of heads of state and government between the candidates rather than by consensus, as Madar previously reported.
Ghazouani arrived in Phnom Penh on Saturday morning from Antalya, Turkey, where he attended the UN climate conference (COP31), leading a delegation that includes Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug and Coumba Ba.
On Saturday, Ould Merzoug took part in the opening of the 48th session of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie, which prepares the summit, and held talks with Canada's foreign minister, France's minister delegate for Francophonie and Vietnam's deputy foreign minister, partly on coordinating support for the Mauritanian candidate.
AMI has not yet given details of the president's meetings on the sidelines of the summit.
