"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/ > > > > > > > >_________________________________________________________________________ > > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at >http://www.hotmail.com. > > > > Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at > > http://profiles.msn.com. > > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >You may also send subscription requests to >[log in to unmask] >if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your >full name and e-mail address. >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------