Mauritania is a beacon of stability in the coup-prone Sahel

And yet Mr Ould Ghazouani has presided over a period of unprecedented calm. Though marred by the arrest of opposition figures, his election in 2019 marked Mauritania’s first-ever peaceful transfer of power. He has co-operated with opposition parties, expanded social security and sidelined Mr Aziz, his predecessor, who was jailed for corruption in December. As defence minister and then president he also played an influential part in ousting al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, an Algeria-based jihadist group that launched a series of deadly attacks in Mauritania between 2005 and 2011. A combination of community outreach, mediation with Islamists, and military modernisation has uprooted extremism. Mauritania has been free of terrorism for over 13 years. Mr Ould Ghazouani is expected to win a second term in office in the presidential election scheduled for June 29th, which the UN reckons will be fair and peaceful.