Images of post-election protests in Mauritania
The days following Mauritania’s presidential election were marked by deadly clashes between security forces and protesters, authorities said Tuesday. At least three people lost their lives, and an unknown number of people were injured.
Protests erupted in the capital and other parts of the country after President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was declared victory in the first round. This comfortable victory grants the former army chief a second presidential term.
However, the candidate who came second, the famous anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, denounced massive fraud and claimed that the results were falsified. He immediately called for peaceful protests.
Security forces confronted protesters in the town of Kaédi, the country’s largest and a stronghold of the predominantly black opposition. Protests also took place in the towns of Nouadhibou, Rosso, Zouérate and Boghé, other strongholds of Abeid support.
Following these clashes, access to mobile internet was blocked and the authorities promised to arrest those responsible for the violence. The electoral commission, made up of representatives of political parties, rejected opposition allegations of irregularities during the vote.
Three international election observation missions also said in their initial statements that the vote took place in an atmosphere of peace and transparency.
Ghazouani is regularly accused by his opponents of corruption and mismanagement, but he remains popular among Mauritanians who see him as a symbol of stability.
For centuries, Mauritania’s economic and political elite, made up of Arabs and Amazighs, enslaved black populations from the northwest of the Sahara. Mauritania banned slavery in 1981, becoming the last country in the world to do so, but human rights groups say the practice persists.
In a context where post-election protests are intensifying, the situation in Mauritania requires in-depth analysis and careful monitoring to ensure stability and respect for human rights in the country.