"Time is crucial in the fight against the evil system in Mauritania before
it becomes uncontrollable."  Thanks for forwarding this article.

I probably can't, but even if I can, I won't! At least they ain't getting
killed, simply deported.  Let's talk about our struggles in Gambia...  I
firmly believe that if Africa was left untarnished from the beginning of
time, Africans would dominate the world we lived in today.

Essa

>From: fatou sowe <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Fw: SUPPORT MAURITANIAN PEOPLE
>Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 15:01:06 +0200
>
>FWD
>-----
> > >RESOLUTION FROM THE SEMINAR ORGANISED BY ARIBIS (Africa Research and
> > >Information Bureau in Sweden), on the 7th October 2000.
> > >
> > >Subject: THE HISTORY AND STRUGGLE OF THE MAURITANIAN PEOPLE .
> > >
> > >INTRODUCTION
> > >
> > >Mauritania lies in the north-west of Africa covering an area of about
>one
> > >million and seventy thousand square kilometer (1 070 000 km2).
> > >It borders the Atlantic to the west, Senegal to the south, Mali to the
> > >south-east, Algeria to the north and the Western Sahara to the
>north-west.
> > >The country is flat, lies in the heart of the Sahel, mostly dry and
> > >desertic. Infact, the process of desertification is rapidly consuming
>the
> > >southern belt of the country, thus threatening the ecosystem of the
>entire
> > >area.
> > >
> > >As it is today, Mauritania is peopled by about two million five hundred
> > >(2.5million) Black Africans and Arabo-Berbers. The Black Africans who
>make
> > >up more than half of the total population are divided into the
>following
> > >ethnic groups:
> > >
> > >     a.. Fulbes (Fulanis, Toucoulor, Haalpularen, Peul or Fulata).
>Their
> > >language is called Pulaar or Fulfulbe.
> > >     a.. Soninkes or Sarakhoule. Their language is also called Soninke
>or
> > >Sarakhoule.
> > >     a.. Wolofs and their language is called Wolof.
> > >     a.. Bambaras and their language is called Bambara.
> > >
> > >The Arabo-Berbers on the other hand are divided into two groups:
> > >
> > >     a.. White Moors called Beydan
> > >     a.. Black Moors called Haraatin (former and present slaves) who
>had
> > >been kidnapped into slavery by the Berbers and later on assimilated
>into
> > >the Arab-North African culture as the lowest social segment in that
> > >society.
> > >
> > >Both the white and black moors speak an Arabic dialect called Hassanya.
>The
> > >white moors would like to call themselves Arabs while the black moors
>stick
> > >to calling themselves Mauritanians.
> > >
> > >Apart from having Islam as their single, common religion and living in
>the
> > >same geographical location, the Black Africans who live mainly in the
> > >south-east of the country and the Arabo-Berbers who used to live in the
> > >north before they were pushed to the south by the drought, have little
>in
> > >common.
> > >
> > >The socio-political structure in Mauritania is similar and comparable
>only
> > >to the former South African Apartheid system. The only difference being
> > >that the Apartheid in the latter was constitutionalized while in the
>former
> > >it is just practised quietly. This structure is based on racist
>premises
>to
> > >ensure Arab domination. A structure that allows the minority to rule
>over
> > >the majority hard handedly.
> > >
> > >Therefore, it has been difficult and impossible for the two ethnic
>groups,
> > >Black Africans and Berbers, which inhabit the country to live together
>in
> > >peace. Since independence, the country has been ruled by different
>Berber
> > >regimes. What all these regimes have in common is that they have been
> > >openly racist against the Black people in the country. They have been
> > >embarking on a systematic process of building up a socio-political and
> > >economic system that would give the Berbers the opportunity to dominate
>all
> > >important position and everything that is good in the country.
> > >
> > >There are records of the regimes using conflict situations as an excuse
>to
> > >carryout the most savage attacks against the Black community. These
>attacks
> > >have been waged in the form of:
> > >
> > >     a.. Collective dismissal of Black people from the civil service
>and
> > >purging of Black officers from the army, police and national guard,
> > >     a.. Indiscriminate arrests of innocent people, mass detentions and
> > >imprisonments without charge or trial of men, women and school
>children,
> > >     a.. Emptying hundreds of villages of their African inhabitants who
> > >would be loaded in military trucks and then deported to Senegal or
>Mali.
> > >
> > >More than 100,000 (one hundred thousand) Black Mauritanians have been
> > >deported in that manner. All that in a futile attempt by the regime in
> > >trying to clean the country of itīs Black population, and to give the
> > >impression to the international community that Mauritania is 100% Arab.
> > >
> > >The Berber military regime both manipulates and falsifies all documents
>and
> > >statistical data to hide these fascist policies which have been worked
>out
> > >to oppress the Black community. The official violations of Black
>peopleīs
> > >human and national rights have encouraged and helped perpetuate the
> > >practice of slavery and slave trade within the Berber community in the
> > >country. In this criminal violation of basic human rights, the regime
>has
> > >been receiving massive moral and material support from different Arab
> > >countries.
> > >
> > >Though this Arabo-Berber conspiracy has been going on for many, many
>years,
> > >it has not yet attracted the interests of the international human
>rights
> > >activists or mass media sufficiently. The state is doing all it can to
> > >prevent its inhuman violations of the Black peopleīs national rights to
> > >reach out to world opinion.
> > >
> > >
> > >THE SEMINAR RESOLUTION
> > >
> > >Rallying behind ARIBIS, the participants at the seminar would like to
> > >extend their sincere gratitude to the representative of FLAM () for the
> > >very good and informative deliberation on THE HISTORY AND STRUGGLE OF
>THE
> > >MAURITANIAN PEOPLE AGAINST THE ARABO-BERBER OPPRESSION, EXPANSION AND
> > >GENOCIDE.
> > >
> > >Time is crucial in the fight against the evil system in Mauritania
>before
> > >it becomes uncontrollable. In that vein, the participants at the
>seminar
> > >support the struggle under the banner of FLAM -african front for the
>liberation of mauritania-for justice, freedom,
> > >equality and transparency in Mauritania and agreed on the following:
> > >
> > >     a.. To appeal to all the people of the world to condemn the
> > >Mauritanian racist regime.
> > >
> > >     b.. To appeal to groups, organisations, people of well meaning etc
>to
> > >support FLAM for a better Mauritania.
> > >     a.. To help in spreading objective and concrete information about
>the
> > >regimeīs violations of human and national rights of the majority of the
> > >people that it is supposed to serve.
> > >     a.. To help in exposing and putting an end to the Arab involvement
>and
> > >participation in this gross crime.
> > >
> > >     b.. To extend real and effective support for and solidarity with
>the
> > >Black people to speed up their struggle to dismantle the racist regime
>in
> > >order to build a New Democratic and Better Mauritania where both ethnic
> > >groups shall enjoy their right to be different and free from the wreath
>of
> > >racist dictatorship.
> > >     a.. To appeal to progressive individuals, groups, organisations
>etc,
> > >to send protest letters to the Mauritanian racist regime.
> > >
> > >     b.. To send appeal letters to the UN, OAU, None-Aligned Movements
>etc,
> > >to put pressure on this racist regime for democratisation and to force
>the
> > >regime to make the result of the demographic census public.
> > >
> > >for more infomation
>      FLAM
>      BP 5811
>      DAKAR-FANN
>      SENEGAL
>      WEBBSITE-HTTP:/membres.tripod.fr/flamnet/
> > >
> >
> >
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>
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