Expats in Mauritania

The EU on Thursday announced 210 million euros to help Mauritania crack down on people smugglers and deter migrant boats from taking off, as the number of people attempting the dangerous Atlantic crossing from West Africa to Europe rises sharply. Mauritania, during a meeting with European officials in its coastal capital of Nouakchott, also noted that it was itself increasingly struggling to cope with the growing number of migrants and refugees entering its borders as security in the Sahel region declines. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the extra funding for migration, but also for humanitarian aid and job creation, as she met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. “Insecurity and the lack of economic opportunity in the region are pushing many people to migrate,” Von der Leyen told journalists as she stood next to Ghazouani and Sánchez in a live-streamed statement. “This causes many to fall into th