Moroccan exporters and transport professionals say ongoing difficulties with Mauritania’s electronic visa system are disrupting cross-border trade and slowing access to West African markets.
Industry representatives say the obstacles are affecting both Moroccan and Mauritanian operators, noting that shortages of Moroccan trucks have complicated the transport of Mauritanian watermelon exports to Europe via Morocco.
Chergui El Hashemi, secretary-general of the General Union of International and National Transport Professionals, tells Hespress AR that professional drivers are facing “major and ongoing problems” related to the electronic visa requirement imposed by Mauritania.
“The situation is unreasonable for a driver carrying goods who is forced to wait for technical procedures that hinder his professional movement,” he said.
El Hashemi said Moroccan operators respect Mauritania’s sovereignty and decisions but called for the creation of a dedicated visa portal for truck drivers and transport company owners, citing strong trade ties and neighborly relations between the two countries.
He also urged authorities to extend the visa’s validity beyond the current one- to three-month period to ensure smoother operations and avoid repeated administrative procedures that he said harm commercial activity.
According to El Hashemi, the issue became particularly visible during the Mauritanian watermelon export season to Europe via Morocco. He said delays in visa approvals led to a shortage of available trucks, pushing transport costs as high as 120,000 dirhams (about $12,000) per trip.
He added that severe congestion has been recorded in the Guerguerat border area and at the so-called “Point 55,” where more than 250 trucks are reportedly waiting. Among them, he said, are about 40 Moroccan trucks whose drivers remain stranded due to visa rejections or pending applications.
However, Mohammed Zmerani, president of the Moroccan Association of Exporters of Various Goods to Africa and Abroad, downplayed the impact, describing technical difficulties in the electronic visa system as normal given high demand.
He said occasional pressure on digital systems can lead to temporary complications but stressed that truck transit operations are proceeding normally overall and that there has been no major disruption to cross-border trade flows.
Regarding Mauritanian watermelon exports, Zmerani denied any ban on Moroccan drivers entering Mauritania to transport the produce, saying shipments from Mauritania through Morocco to Europe are continuing without obstacles.
He said Moroccan professional drivers are entering Mauritanian territory in a routine and smooth manner. Most trucks traveling south first unload Moroccan vegetable shipments before loading Mauritanian watermelon for the return journey to Europe, he added.
Zmerani concluded that logistical coordination between the relevant parties remains in place and that goods continue to flow, despite isolated technical challenges related to the visa system.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.