Mauritania's Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay has resigned after an independent inquiry faulted serious lapses at the country's power utility following fires that left parts of the capital in darkness for days.
Djay submitted his government's resignation to President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani on Friday during a meeting at the presidential palace in Nouakchott, the state-run Mauritanian News Agency (AMI) reported.
The resignation came a day after the president received the report on the two fires that hit electricity infrastructure in August.
The fires broke out less than 24 hours apart on August 21 and 22. They affected transformer substations belonging to the Mauritanian Electricity Company, Somelec, in Nouakchott and its suburbs.
Large areas of the capital were cut off from power, along with the towns of Ouad Naga, Idini and Aouleigat. The outage lasted between three and five days depending on the location.
Somelec later announced full restoration at the two substations after about five days of repairs.
Commission faults prevention and emergency response
The report was prepared by an independent commission set up to investigate the incident.
It outlined "serious shortcomings regarding prevention, electrical protection, work supervision and emergency management" in the handling of the facilities.
The commission linked the problems to three newly installed electrical power lines and identified overheating as the most likely cause of the fires.
It found no evidence of sabotage or operational error.
Resignation after two years in office
Djay had served for more than two years in office, according to AMI. He was the third prime minister appointed by Ghazouani and took office in August 2024 at the start of the president's second term.
His resignation is the latest political fallout from the August blackout, which disrupted homes and businesses in Nouakchott for several days.
No successor has been announced.
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