In a strategic diplomatic push, Mauritania has twice dispatched high-level envoys to Yaoundé within a week to secure Cameroon’s endorsement for Coumba Bâ’s candidacy for Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). The latest visit on June 24 saw Mauritania’s Environment Minister, Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf, deliver a sealed letter from President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani to President Paul Biya’s administration.
Direct engagement with Cameroon’s leadership
Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf met with Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Cameroon’s Minister of State and Secretary-General of the Presidency, who represented an absent President Biya. The closed-door meeting lasted approximately 30 minutes, during which the Mauritanian minister explicitly outlined the purpose of her mission.
« We carried a message from His Excellency President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani to President Paul Biya, » she explained to reporters outside the Palais de l’Unité. « This sealed communication underscores the importance Mauritania places on this diplomatic initiative. »
Just days earlier, on June 18, Mauritania’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, had already presented a similar letter to Cameroon’s leadership, signaling a coordinated and deliberate campaign.
A candidate with presidential backing
Coumba Bâ, a senior advisor to Mauritania’s President, is the candidate Mauritania is championing for the OIF’s top position. In advocating for her, Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf emphasized Cameroon’s pivotal role in fostering « regional balance »—a principle Mauritania aims to uphold through this bid.
Reciprocity as a driving force
The Mauritanian approach is not without precedent. In 2025, Cameroon supported Mauritania’s candidate, Sidi Ould Tah, for the presidency of the African Development Bank (ADB). Mauritania reciprocated by backing Cameroon’s OIF bid, a move Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf framed as a « win-win partnership. »
Beyond Cameroon, Mauritania is actively engaging with other key institutions, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), to consolidate support for Coumba Bâ’s candidacy. While the official response from Yaoundé remains pending, the urgency of the diplomatic outreach suggests Mauritania is leaving no stone unturned.
