Authorities are searching for a group of "terrorists" who escaped prison. Mauritania has largely been unscathed by the Islamist terrorism that has affected its neighbors in the Sahel region.

Four jihadist prisoners escaped from prison in Mauritania's capital Nouakchott on Sunday night, killing two guards in the process.

Two other guards were wounded during a gunfight that ensued, authorities said on Monday.

"The National Guard has tightened its control over the prison and immediately started tracking down the fugitives in order to arrest them as soon as possible," Mauritania's Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry described the escapees as "terrorists" but did not provide any further information.

A military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency that two of the escapees had been sentenced to death, while the other two were awaiting trial for membership in a terrorist organization.

A decade without terrorist attacks

Mauritania has not recorded a jihadist attack since 2011, but it shares a long border with Mali where militant groups are active.

Over the past decade, the Mauritanian government has enlisted Muslim scholars to encourage jihadists to repent.

New towns were built in remote desert areas and vocational training was offered to young people in order to alleviate the dire economic conditions in which terrorist groups thrive.

Documents produced by the US government in 2011 suggested the existence a secret non-aggression pact between Mauritania and Islamist groups, but the government in Nouakchott has denied this.

zc/rt (AFP, Reuters)