Slavery Still Alive and Well in Mauritania – United Nations

According to a report by the United Nations, Slavery is alive and well in post-colonial Africa.  An estimated 10% to 20% of Mauritania's 3.4 million people are enslaved — in "real slavery," the United Nations report said.

On record, Mauritania abolished slavery in 1981; it was the last country to abolish slavery. But if the latest reports are anything to go by, then the abolition was only a façade orchestrated to escape international criticism and sanctions.

Surprisingly, there are still traces of 'real slavery' in Mauritania despite the country criminalizing slavery and the slave trade in 2007. There have been just four prosecutions of slave-owners in its history, with dozens of cases currently in courts.

Despite the abolishment of slavery in Mauritania in 1981, there was still widespread evidence of the slave trade in the country, leading to the decision by the government to criminalize it. Still, it appears that it did not help either.

A correspondent for Africanews, Moulaye Najim reports on slavery alleged occurring within the Soninke community in the Senegal River Valley region about 500 kilometers from the capital Nouakchott.

The United Nations have confirmed the reports.

Critics have called on the African Union to stand up and not wait from intervention from the international community in banishing slavery from its backyard.

In 1981, Mauritania became the last country in the world to abolish slavery, when a presidential decree abolished the practice. However, no criminal laws were passed to enforce the ban. In 2007, "under international pressure", the government passed a law allowing slaveholders to be prosecuted.

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About Mauritania

Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in Northwest Africa. It is the eleventh largest sovereign state in Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west. (Wikipedia)

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