Mauritanian Prime Minister urged all Mauritanian political and social forces to rally behind the government-initiated political dialogue planned for early October. Yahya Ould Hademine was speaking Monday at the final day of week-long consultative talks said to lay the ground for the comprehensive Political Dialogue. Hademine told reporters that preparations were unfolding smoothly and that […]
Mauritania
Mauritania Tightens Anti-slavery law
Mauritanian Parliament has passed a new anti-slavery law which criminalizes “10 forms of slavery”, including forced marriage and other controversial social practices such as handing a woman over to another man without her consent after the death of her husband. Mauritania abolished slavery in 1981, but human rights activists say the practice is still alive. […]
Mauritania: UN Expert Concerned over Civil Society Freedom
UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly & of association, Maina Kiai, has voiced serious concerns over a draft law on Ngos & civil society associations, approved last month by the Council of Ministers. This bill “threatens the exercise of fundamental freedoms in the country, in particular the right to freedom […]
Mauritania frees Ansar Dine spokesman, concerns raised
Mauritania has released the former spokesman of Ansar Dine, Sidi Mohamed Ould Mohamed Ould Bouamama, aka Sanda Ould Bouamama, from prison raising fears that he would engage again within the extremist group and resume participation in terror activities. Mali had issued an international arrest warrant against him for alleged crimes he had committed during the […]
Mauritania hosting President Bashir despite international arrest warrant
The one-day 4th Summit of the Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Belt held in Mauritania this Monday with the participation of several African Heads of State concerned by the desert encroachment has reignited the debate over the arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. President Omar Al-Bashir arrived, Sunday, in Mauritanian capital city Nuakchott, leading […]
Mauritania: Introduce Sharia and religious police force, Mufti Wald Habib tells the President
Ahmed Wald Habib al-Rahman, considered to be the Mufti of Mauritania, told President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and other high officials that the country needs to create a Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, or religious police, in order to enforce Sharia in Mauritania. During an encounter at the Grand […]
Mauritania signs “win-win” fishing agreement with EU
Mauritania and the European Union (EU) have signed the fourth implementing protocol to the EU’s Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) in a deal described by both partners as a “win-win” agreement. The implementation of the SFPA started in December 2006. After 16 months of intense negotiations, Nouakchott’s chief negotiator Cheikh Ould Baya said apart from the economic gains and […]
Mauritania: EU fishermen calling for a new better deal
The fifth round of negotiations on fisheries between Mauritania and the European Union (EU) kicked-off on Tuesday in Nouakchott and will last for three days. As the two parties are trying to negotiate a new fisheries agreement some European fisheries bodies want certain aspects of the accord to be modified claiming that it is disadvantageous. […]
Mauritania: MSF Warns Against Malnutrition of Malian Refugees in Mbera Camp
The international humanitarian organisation “Médecins Sans Frontières” (MSF) has warned lately against the increasing risk of malnutrition of Malian refugees in Mbera Camp, Mauritania, following the cancellation of monthly food rations. Faced with plummeting financial resources, the World Food Program (WFP) has failed to provide the necessary food assistance to the 49,500 Malian refugees for […]
Mauritania expels Algerian diplomat over e-journal allegations, Algeria retaliates
A diplomatic row between Algiers and Nouakchott has erupted over an article published by Mauritanian e-journal Al-Bayan, alleging that Mauritania had complained to the U.N about Morocco flooding it with drugs. Mauritania, infuriated by the false news that could strain its ties with Morocco, immediately expelled the Chief adviser at the Algerian embassy Belkacem Cherouati […]









