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“Ecouvillon” (hatch),“Ouragan” (hurricane), “Cornue” (retort), and “Lamantin” (manatee) — these evocative names were given to French military operations in Mauritania between 1958 and 1978. Each code name hides something, for various reasons: weak French national interests, dubious legality, clandestine alliances, and/or simply military secrets. Nevertheless, these operations reveal the plot of a fascinating story about military power transfers at the time of Mauritania’s independence.