In a span of one week, two Mauritanian ministers have visited Yaoundé. President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani dispatched a second special envoy to the Unity Palace on June 24: Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf, minister of the environment, carrying a sealed letter addressed to Paul Biya. The stated goal is to secure Cameroon’s support for the candidacy of Coumba Ba for the post of Secretary General of the International Organisation of the Francophonie.
Sealed letter, 30-minute audience, and a direct message
Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, minister of state and secretary general of the presidency of the republic, received the Mauritanian envoy late in the afternoon on behalf of Paul Biya, who was away from Yaoundé. The audience lasted approximately 30 minutes. Bessouda Mohamed Laghdaf made no attempt to hide the purpose of her visit.
“We are carrying a message from the Mauritanian head of state, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, destined for his brother, President Paul Biya. We handed over this sealed message to the secretary general of the presidency,” she told the press after leaving the Unity Palace.
Two ministers in one week, a sealed letter for Biya – this is a full-fledged campaign. Mauritania’s foreign minister, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, had paved the way on June 18, carrying a first message to the head of state.
The candidate backed by Nouakchott is Coumba Ba, an adviser to the Mauritanian presidency. Minister Bessouda presented Cameroon as a country capable of influencing “the balance between different regions” that Mauritania hopes to embody with this candidacy.
A precedent at the AfDB and a logic of clear reciprocity
The Mauritanian move does not come out of nowhere. In 2025, Cameroon supported the candidacy of Sidi Ould Tah for the presidency of the African Development Bank. Mauritania won. Nouakchott aims to replicate the pattern, this time for the OIF.
It is difficult not to see a logic of outright reciprocity, almost claimed. The Mauritanian minister even spoke of a “win-win partnership” in front of the press.
Consultations within the OIF, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Islamic Development Bank are in Nouakchott’s sights. Cameroon is being approached on several fronts simultaneously.
It is not yet known what official response Yaoundé will give, nor when.
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