A group organizers of Mauritania’s 25 February and 1 March (and 3 March) protests which took place mainly in Nouakchott at the Place des Blocs but also in other towns and cities (most of which went on without incident except for in Nema (Hodh al-Sharqi) and Kiffa (Assaba) where police used force to break up and prevent youth demonstrations) have put out a list of seven demands. Whether the authors of the list are representative of the majority or all of those protesting is uncertain. They have made the rounds on opposition forums and in some of the online newspapers and match some of the chants and signs heard and seen at demonstrations over the last week or so.
The list was published on the Facebook page of the website “For Mauritania.” Each item on the list includes detailed explanations of the organizers’ rationale for making them and their urgency. The list is titled “Seven cardinal points for building a modern state”. The points on the list are reproduced and translated below. Notably the list includes a demand that would potentially change Mauritania’s political system from a presidential to a parliamentary one and others that move in the direction of more populist and the shifts in the direction of more direct democracy at the local level. Unsurprisingly the first demand on the list is for the military to get out of politics. For lack of time, the explanations are not yet translated from the Arabic but if readers would like to post their translations in the comments section this is welcome (otherwise this blogger will translate them later in the day or in the next couple of days). Continue reading
