In a phone conversation, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Mauritania's Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed "discussed the seriousness of the current situation and expressed their fear that it could further escalate and degenerate into unforeseen acts of violence."

Guterres called Mauritania to play a "positive and recognized role on the part of all parties to ease the situation," Mauritanian news agency AMI reported.

UN Chief also highlighted the contacts he was having over the past two days, and expressed concern over the "seriousness of the situation on the ground."

For his part, Mauritania's FM recalled the pioneering role that everyone expects from the UN to resolve the crisis as soon as possible.

He also told Guterres that Mauritania has been intensively conducting its good offices in recent days.

In a brief statement at the end of a council of ministers, spokesman of Mauritanian government noted that the Mauritanian diplomacy is currently working to "find, as soon as possible, a solution to the crisis prevailing at El Guerguerat passage."

"We are not involved in this dispute, but we are primarily concerned, and as neighbors of the various parties, by this crisis" which is raging on the northern borders of Mauritania, and which created disruptions in the supply of its markets, which largely depends on its imports from Morocco," he said.