A crisis is growing between the Mauritanian government and medium-sized contractors, as the housing ministry continues to refuse to repay the businesses money it owes them totalling one billion Ouguiya (US $34,000), sources said. The sources added that the diverse group of businesses, which includes construction companies, were at risk of bankruptcy if the government did not act urgently. The companies called on the housing ministry to repay the debt, which in turn submitted a request to the Ministry of Finance, but to no avail, the source said.