Former slaves criticize the authorities' crackdown on them in Mauritania

The Charter for the Social and Economic Rights of the Haratin, who are former slaves in Mauritania, condemned the authorities’ decision to ban the annual march demanding their rights and equality, considering it a serious setback in freedoms.

Mauritanian slaves

The head of the Charter, Yarb Ould Nafaa, said during a press conference held by the Charter’s leaders on Wednesday in Nouakchott that the Charter is committed to organizing its annual march and sees no alternative to it or its symbolism. He also rejected the Interior Ministry’s proposal to organize a festival inside a closed hall as an alternative to the march.

According to the German Press Agency (DPA), Ould Nafaa explained that the Charter has been organizing this march since 2013, noting that citing internal tensions as a pretext constitutes, in his words, a restriction on freedoms and a setback for democratic practice. He added that the Charter will continue to express its demands on various occasions, emphasizing that the march represents a fundamental symbol of its struggle and its demands for human rights.

Ignorance and marginalization

The Haratin constitute a large social segment that has suffered from slavery, ignorance, poverty and marginalization, while human rights organizations call for achieving social justice for former slaves and working to improve their conditions in various areas of life.