Sahel Edition

Sahel: Calm returns to Mauritania after riots sparked by death of man in police custodyF

Posted On 31 May 2023

Number of times this article was read : 1186

The Mauritanian government cut internet access for mobile phones Wednesday, a day after protests over the death of a young man after a brief period in police custody. Despite the loss of internet access for mobile phones, fixed lines were still functional and business activity continued as usual, an AFP journalist observed Wednesday.

On Tuesday, demonstrations erupted in the capital Nouakchott and in the southern city of Boghe. Demonstrators demanded “justice for Omar Diop”, who was arrested on Monday evening after participating in a fight, according to the police. He died a few hours later in hospital after having breathing problems.  An autopsy and investigation are underway to determine the circumstances of the death, the Interior Ministry said.

Demonstrators burnt tyres in the streets of the capital and “set fire to and vandalised public and private property”, the ministry said.  In Boghe, a town some 300 kilometres (190 miles) southeast of Nouakchott, one demonstrator was killed during clashes between small groups of youths and the police. The youths had tried to “take over the town’s police station”, the Interior Ministry said.  Authorities cut off the mobile internet access to “reduce the chances of links between criminals”, a senior police officer told AFP.    On Wednesday, calm had returned to both locations.

Mauritania held its legislative elections on Saturday and Sunday, with the governing party of President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani winning 107 of the 176 seats, ahead of presidential elections set for next year.

AFP

More on the Sahel

West Africa: Jihadist Attacks Intensify in Northern Benin Amid Cross-Border Insurgency Pressure$

Jihadist attacks in northern Benin have intensified in recent weeks, with militants linked to JNIM claiming a deadly assault on a military position near the Niger border and carrying out additional raids on security posts along the country’s volatile frontiers with Burkina Faso and Nigeria. The violence underscores how northern Benin has become part of a wider cross-border insurgency spilling south from the central Sahel, even as authorities bolster Operation Mirador and try to prevent armed groups from entrenching themselves on Beninese soil.

Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa$

Small desert locust swarms recently detected along the western Sahara corridor have prompted stepped-up monitoring across parts of North and West Africa, where shifting rainfall can quickly turn quiet desert areas into launchpads for wider infestations.

Mali Army, Russian Allies Accused of Executing Civilians Near Mauritania Border$

Seven Malian refugees traveling from Mauritania were allegedly executed by Malian soldiers and Russian Africa Corps personnel near Ahl El Kory, close to the Mauritanian border, after their vehicles were stopped on March 6. Local sources say the unarmed Fulani civilians were shot or had their throats cut, while other passengers were beaten, questioned as suspected jihadists, then released.