Culture

Last to abolish slavery, Mauritania still hunts anti-slavery activists

The institution of slavery, though abolished some 37 years ago in Mauritania, still has significant scars on the country’s landscape

Published

6 years ago

July 23, 2018

Africa News Watch

The institution of slavery, though abolished some 37 years ago in Mauritania, still has significant scars on the country’s landscape.

The effect of the discredited practice came to the fore recently as two anti-slavery activists freed from prison in Mauritania vowed an all-out fight to rescue their nation from one of the world’s worst slavery rates, saying jail and torture were no deterrent.

Mauritania was the last nation to abolish slavery, outlawing it in 1981, and more than two in every 100 of its people still live as slaves, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index.

Human rights groups say government made no effort to stamp it out and arrests people who speak out against it.

Abdallahi Matallah Saleck and Moussa Biram were jailed for their alleged role in a protest and charged with inciting riots and rebellion. They spent two years in a remote desert prison where they say they suffered horrible abuse.

“They tortured us, they did everything they could so we would back down. But we will never, ever back down,” Biram told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Less than a week after being released, both were back on the streets of Nouakchott, encouraging fellow members of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) to stay strong.

“The fight has just begun,” Biram said adding he is not in good health and has injuries from torture and beatings. “I can’t even stand up because of my legs which people hit with batons.”

A government spokesman said allegations of torture were false and an independent body called the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture had visited the detention site in 2017 and found no human rights violations.

Government previously denied making arbitrary arrests and said that it prosecutes “unlawful and unregistered organisations that provoke riots, chaos and insecurity.”

Because government refused to register the IRA as an organisation, the men could be jailed at any time, said Francois Patuel of Amnesty International.

“We know we’re not safe, but we are not afraid,” Saleck told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“This is our country no matter what and we have to fight against discrimination and slavery,” he said.

Slavery in Mauritania follows racial lines, with black descendants of ethnic groups from the country’s south typically enslaved by lighter-skinned Mauritanians.

Some Mauritanians are born into slavery and spend their lives as domestic or farm workers.

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Culture

Two Algerians arrested over alleged murder of Swiss tourist

Published

3 days ago

October 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Algerian authorities have arrested two men in connection with the brutal murder of a Swiss tourist who was killed on October 11 while sitting at a cafe in the southern Algerian town of Djanet, a popular desert tourism destination.

The female tourist was reportedly attacked with a knife and had her throat slit by an assailant. She was rushed to a local hospital, but later died from her severe injuries.

According to local Algerian media reports, two suspects who were arrested following the attack have been identified as men from northern Algeria who had arrived in Djanet about six months ago and were dressed in the style of Tuareg nomads.

An online platform which reported on the incident, said the murder occurred on the terrace of the Cafe Skaner in central Djanet, next to the local tourism office.

“The victim was part of a group of five Swiss tourists visiting the area. The other four members of her group have since been evacuated back to Switzerland with assistance from the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

In a statement, the Swiss ministry confirmed it was aware of the violent death of a Swiss citizen on October 11 in the south-east of Algeria, but gave no further details out of respect for the victim’s privacy.

Though Algerian authorities have not yet issued any public comments on the killing, a source familiar with the situation told the French newspaper, Liberation, that “for the moment, it is completely hushed up. Nothing is coming out, even on social networks. On the ground, the watchword is radio silence. Everyone is complying.”

An Algerian diplomat said the murder could deal a significant blow to Algeria’s efforts to boost tourism in the Sahara desert region. Djanet, near the Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, only opened to tourism in 2022 after years of being off-limits due to security concerns.

The town has since become a popular destination, attracting thousands of domestic and foreign visitors with direct flights from Paris.

An investigation into the murder is reportedly underway and security has been tightened around Djanet, including increased military checkpoints and it remains to be seen how Algerian officials will address this high-profile case and whether this will impact the country’s ambitious plans to grow its nascent tourism industry, the platform said.

Culture

Algeria accuses renowned Singer Cheb Khaled of spying for Morocco

Published

5 days ago

October 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Algerian authorities have accused renowned musician, singer and songwriter, Cheb Khaled, of spying for neighbours Morocco as another wave of hostilities brew between the two countries.

Founder of Algerian news outlet, Algeria Par, Al Abdou Semmar, disclosed on his YouTube channel that the military court in Blida, Algeria, hd reportedly forwarded a dossier to the court of Bir Mourad Rais in Algiers, containing serious allegations against the famous artist.

“Cheb Khaled has been friends with Moroccan monarch Mohammed VI for several years,” the journalist said, claiming that Algerian judicial authorities seek to charge Khaled in an alleged espionage case for Morocco.

Semmar further claimed investigations by his news channel has revealed that the singer is suspected and accused of complicity in espionage activities with the Bennacer brothers.

“This refers to the brothers Toufik and Boualem Bennacer, sons of the later General Larbi Bennacer,” the journalist said.

He added that Khaled also faces accusations of “transmitting sensitive information classified as ‘defense secret’ in Algeria to Moroccan authorities.”

“Based in Luxembourg, Cheb Khaled is now wanted by Algerian justice, which wishes to hear him, charge him, and put him on trial,” the journalist said.

He explained that such claims and accusations have come amid the Algerian regime’s hostility towards any party with close ties with Morocco.

“This is not the first time Algeria has arrested individuals and accused them of espionage for Morocco. The latest arrests took place earlier this week in Oran and Sidi Bel Abbès, and involved two Moroccan nationals,’ he said.

Khaled has close ties with Morocco, having performed numerous times in the North African country, where he has millions of Moroccan fans and frequently shares statements expressing his love and passion for Morocco,, referring to it as his second country.

In 2013, he obtained Moroccan citizenship under a royal decree, an act that has repeatedly put him at the heart of controversies among those sharing hostility towards Morocco.