Mauritania is facing a rough time as it struggles to keep afloat amidst a sea of troubles. Despite Mauritania's steadily growing economy linked to the success of its manufacturing and mining industry, it ranks towards the bottom of the Human Development Index, at 159 out of 187 countries with comparable data. The nation's main problems include corruption, unemployment (at about 33% of the work force) and human rights violations. When it comes to human rights, slavery is one of the most serious issues and it involves descendants of black Africans who had been abducted and forced into slavery, continuing to serve Semitic Mauritanians in servile conditions. It is estimated that about 20% of Mauritania's population of over 3,000,000 live under these conditions, irrespective of repeated laws banning the practice. As well as these problems, Mauritania is also having to cope with Islamic fundamentalists with links to Al-Qaeda operating within its borders and the shock waves following the coup and disruption in Mali.
Now an opposition bloc composed of ten political parties has signed a charter calling for the removal of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz as a prerequisite to any possible negotiations on resolving the country's crisis. The president was involved in two coups, the first in 2005 that deposed President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya and the second on 2008 that put him in power after ousting President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. President Abdel Aziz legitimised his authority in an election in July 2009 which gave him a five-year term in office and he is unlikely to relinquish power lightly, especially when his fight against terrorism has earned him powerful allies abroad. Perhaps its time these allies demonstrated a more holistic approach to their support for Mauritania that involves focussing on human rights and defeating corruption.
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