AL JUMHURIYAH AL ISLAMIYA AL MURITANIYAH a.k.a. ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA

Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

Former cabinet minister Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi has won Mauritania's historic presidential election. Abdallahi gained 53% of the ballots cast in Sunday's run-off, against 47% for opposition leader Ahmed Ould Daddah. These election is perceived to be the fairest since Mauritania gained independence from France in 1960.

Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

Mauritania started its march towards democracy in November 2006, when local and regional elections were held throughout the country. Presidential elections followed in March 2007. However, none of the 19 presidential candidates won more than 50% of the vote in the first round, and the two top candidates, Sidi Ould Sheik Abdallahi, a former government minister, and Ahmed Ould Daddah, an opposition leader, headed for the country's first-ever second round of voting.

Newly Elected President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (Center)
"I hereby proclaim that the next president of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania will be Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi," said Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine announced on 03-26-07

Abdallahi is a member of the so-called White Moor elite and is reported to have spent time in prison under previous military rulers. Abdallahi has pledged tough measures against slavery, which was banned in 1981 but which still persists. Mauritania is an ethnically diverse mix of Arabic-speaking Moors and black Africans. The large Black Moor population are current and former slaves of the fairer-skinned ruling elite, the White Moors. Abdallahi pledged "special legislation" criminalising slavery while his rival, Daddah, promised compensation for slaves and penalties for law-breakers.

Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

Photo courtesy by Fayries

Mauritania, three times the size of Arizona, is situated in north west Africa with about 350 miles (592 km) of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Morocco on the north, Algeria and Mali on the east, and Senegal on the south. The country is mostly desert, with the exception of the fertile Senegal River valley in the south and grazing land in the north.

A three months old baby in his mothers hand in a small village in the Mauritanian dessert.
Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

Mauritania was first inhabited by blacks and Berbers, and it was a center for the Berber Almoravid movement in the 11th century, which sought to spread Islam throughout western Africa. It was first explored by the Portuguese in the 15th century, but by the 19th century the French gained control. They organized the area into a territory in 1904, and in 1920 it became one of the colonies that constituted French West Africa. In 1946, it was named a French Overseas territory. Mauritania became an independent nation on Nov. 28, 1960.

CATCH THE CAMEL GAME

The Camel does not look pleased

Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

One of the world's poorest countries, Mauritania has pinned hopes for future prosperity on the exploitation of its offshore reserves of oil and natural gas. The Chinguetti and Tiof fields are expected to yield millions of barrels of oil.

Early Morning Koran Lessons for the Children
Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

Politics in Mauritania is based on ethnic and racial lines. The primary conflict is between blacks, who dominate southern regions, and the Moorish-Arabic north, which runs the country. Racial tensions reached a peak in 1989 when Mauritania went to war with Senegal in a dispute over the border. As each country repatriated citizens of the other, critics accused Mauritania of taking the opportunity to expel thousands of blacks.

Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

THOUGHT SLAVERY WAS OVER - WELL THINK AGAIN!
Although Mauritania officially abolished slavery in 1980, the nation continues to tolerate the enslavement of blacks by North African Arabs. In 1993, the U.S. State Department estimated that there were more than 90,000 chattel slaves in the country.

Skyra a runaway Mauritanian slave in a recent interview narrated her slavery ordeal to BBC journalist. She recalls her earliest childhood memories are of fetching water, tending animals, cooking and cleaning.
"I was tied up all night and all day. They only untied me so I could do my chores. In the end I could barely move my limbs."
Yet she never earned a single penny.
"All those years...and I don't even own a goat". Skyra was born to a slave mother so there was never any question she would be anything else. She reveals as having been raped often by her masters.

"My master is the father of my first child, my master's son is the father of my second child and my baby girl's father was my master's nephew".

Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International initiatives are consistently hampered by the government. The government has further refused to grant official recognition of similar organisations working on this issues. Despite numerous government talk against slavery and the passing of legislation prohibiting slavery it seems the government has little interest in really wiping out slavery. More Information

The Cars are over packed
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FAST FACTS:
Population 3,069,000

Capital Nouakchott; 600,000

Area 1,030,700 square kilometers(397,955 square miles)

Language Hassaniya Arabic, Wolof, Pulaar, Soninke, French

Religion Muslim

Currency ouguiya

Life Expectancy 54

GDP per Capita U.S. $1,700

Literacy Percent 42

Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

ECONOMY

• Industry: fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum.
• Agriculture: dates, millet, sorghum, rice; cattle.
• Exports: iron ore, fish and fish products, gold.

Photo Courtesy by Ferdinand Reus

MORE INFORMATION

MAURITANIA COUNTRY STUDY AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

FAURE GNASSINGBE DYNASTIC SUCCESSION

Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé President of Togo

Born in the town of Afagnan in 1966, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé studied in Paris and obtained Master of Business Admnistration degree from The George Washington University, USA. Prior to becoming president Faure was deputy to the National Assembly of Togo for Blitta, coordinator of the commission in charge of privatization and served as Minister of Mines and Telecommunications. He has a reputation of a skilled politician. Since coming to power, he has been working tirelessly to reconcile Togolese politicians and revive the relations with European Union.

Faure's Father

General Gnassingbé Eyadéma, 1937-2005 was the 5th President of Togo from 1967 until he death in 2005. At the time of his death he was the longest-serving head of state in Africa . He fathered more than a hundred children with numerous women. His son Faure Gnassingbe then took power as his successor as he was one he considered to be more level headed and had been his financial advisor on his business interests.

Like his father Gnassingbe Eyadéma, Faure is a man of very few words. But he does have the fierce loyalty of the West African country’s well-organized and well-equipped military. He is a relative newcomer to politics, entering the political fray in June 2002, when he won a seat in parliamentary elections as a candidate of the ruling Togo People’s Rally in Blitta constituency in central Togo.
Later, he was appointed by his father as minister for telecommunications, mines and equipment - a post he held until his Eyadema’s death in February. The Late Eyadema considered political leadership a matter for destiny to decide. The late president once told journalists he would never impose a successor on his people. However, while his son was minister, Eyadema lowered the eligibility age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years when the ruling party Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais dominated parliament unilaterally amended the Togo constitution in December 2002.

Market life in Togo

On February 5, 2005, following his fathers death the late President Gnassingbe Eyadéma of a heart attack shortly afterwards, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé was named by Togo’s military as the country’s leader, raising numerous eyebrows. Army Chief of Staff General Zakari Nandja announced the succession, saying the speaker of parliament (who should have taken over under the constitution) was out of the country. Africa Union leaders described the naming of Faure Gnassingbé as a military coup. The constitution of Togo declared that in the case of the president’s death, the speaker of Parliament takes his place, and has 60 days to call new elections. However, on February 6, Parliament retroactively changed the Constitution, declaring that Faure would hold office for the rest of his father’s term, with elections deferred until 2008.

The African Union described the takeover as a military coup d’etat. International pressure from the United Nations and Togo's opposition to the takeover culminated in riots. In response, Gnassingbé agreed to hold elections in April 2005. On February 25, Gnassingbé resigned as president, soon after accepting nomination to run for the office in April. On May 3, 2005, Gnassingbé was sworn in as the new president garnering 60% of the vote according to official results. Disquiet has continued however with the opposition declaring the voting as having been rigged.

Dynastic succession is reported to be a characteristic of more conservative Francophone African countries, where power is heavily concentrated around the presidency - which in turn is dependent on the backing of the former colonial power, France. Remnants of chieftaincy traditions are also a deciding factor as illustrated by government ministers who are more akin to “courtiers”.