Madar (Nouakchott) - Tensions in Mauritania's higher-education sector entered a new phase on Monday, October 26, 2026, with simultaneous sit-ins organised by student unions at higher-education institutions and a protest over transport near the University of Nouakchott, days after a new student alliance was announced.
The sit-ins were led by the heads of the unions in the "Student Front for the Defence of Rights and Gains" - the National Union of Mauritanian Students, the General Union of Mauritanian Students, the National Union of Students of Mauritania and the National League of Mauritanian Students - who denounced "shortcomings" in the sector and the "failure" of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research's management, according to the Alakhbar news website.
What the students want
The Front's main demands include revising the criteria for domestic and foreign scholarships, expanding master's places, activating doctoral schools, reinstating excluded students, improving campus services and protecting union freedoms.
A protest over transport
On the same day, students protested near the University of Nouakchott to demand public transport, with police intervening to disperse them, according to the Al-Wiam news agency citing circulating information that also reported some students being beaten, with no independent details on the circumstances of the intervention or any injuries. Student unions called for channels of dialogue with the relevant authorities.
Lecturers bet on dialogue
Meanwhile, the National Union of Higher Education suspended the sit-in it had planned for November 4 at Freedom Square in Nouakchott to make room for dialogue, saying this did not mean dropping its demands, chief among them land plots for lecturers, pay rises and a better pension scheme.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research had not commented at the time of writing on Monday's sit-ins or on the reports of a police intervention.
