Mauritania

The Mauritanian presidency announced the formation of a new government of 25 ministers headed by Prime Minister Mohamed Ould Bilal.

According to a presidential decree read out Thursday night by the Secretary-General of the Presidency, Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed, the Waqf in front of the journalists, 15 ministers left the government, most notably the ministers of foreign affairs, finance, higher education and health.

The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Ms Giovanie Biha, chaired the first edition of the annual Women's Forum for Peace and Security in West Africa and the Sahel, held on 14 and 15 March in Nouakchott, capital of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

A group of women 12 MPs from the Réseau des femmes parlementaires mauritaniennes (Network of Mauritian Women Parliamentarians/REFPAM) organized a “caravan”, or outreach visits, to provinces in the country to reach out to local and religious leaders, and the general public.

An agreement has been reached in Mauritania on action necessary to protect women and girls from child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and other violence.