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Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay has been reappointed hours after submitting his government’s resignation following an investigation into major electricity facility fires that caused widespread power outages in August.
President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani accepted Djay’s resignation on Friday, then issued a decree reappointing him as prime minister and directing him to form a new government. Mauritania’s state news agency confirmed the decision.
The political development followed the submission of an independent commission’s report into fires at electricity transformer substations operated by the Mauritanian Electricity Company, Somelec, in Nouakchott.
The blazes disrupted electricity supplies across large parts of the capital and surrounding communities for several days. The investigation identified serious deficiencies in prevention measures, electrical protection, supervision of works and emergency management. It also examined recently installed electricity infrastructure linked to the affected facilities.
Investigators identified overheating as the most likely cause of the fires and found no evidence of sabotage or operational error. Somelec later restored full capacity at the affected substations following several days of repair work.
President Ghazouani had received the commission’s findings before Djay submitted his government’s resignation. The presidency subsequently instructed the government to implement the commission’s recommendations.
Djay has served as Mauritania’s prime minister since August 2024, when he was appointed at the beginning of Ghazouani’s second presidential term. His reappointment means he will now oversee the formation of another government as authorities respond to the findings surrounding the electricity infrastructure failures.
