Foreign Minister Yacine Fall began a visit to Mauritania on Monday, a neighboring country facing significant West African migratory pressure, particularly from Senegalese citizens whose expulsion conditions have been denounced by Dakar, AFP learned from her ministry.

For several days, NGOs have been warning of a massive campaign of arrests and pushbacks of irregular migrants in Mauritania. Nouakchott, for its part, presents these operations as "routine" measures aimed at regularizing their status and dismantling smuggling networks.

The Senegalese ministry, contacted by AFP on Monday, did not provide details of Yacine Fall's visit – duration, objectives, and planned meetings.

Last week, Dakar expressed its "outrage" at the treatment of its citizens in Mauritania, according to a parliamentary report seen by AFP. "Mauritania is facing irregular migratory pressure, exacerbated by the crisis in the sub-region. The Senegalese authorities have expressed their outrage at the conditions of arrest and forced repatriation," states the document presented to the National Assembly.

"Discussions have been initiated with the Mauritanian authorities to ensure respect for the rights of our compatriots," the text adds.

Senegal, which shares its northern border with Mauritania, has a large diaspora in this mostly desert country, located on the Atlantic coast and which has become a transit point to Europe for many West African migrants.