Mauritania

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

República Islámica de Mauritania (Spanish)

الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية (Arabic)

al-Jumhūrīyah al-Islāmīyah al-Mūrītānīyah

ⵜⴰⴳⴷⵓⴷⴰ ⵜⵉⵏⴻⵙⵍⴻⵎⵜ ⵏ ⴰⴳⴰⵡⴻⵊ (Berber)

Tagduda Tineslemt n Agawej

Flag of Mauritania

13.9% Halpulaar

12.5% Tuareg

9.3% Wolof

6.4% Fulani

4% Mande

0.7% Moroccan Arab

1.2% Other

0.1% Catholic

0.2% Other

**Mauritania**, officially the **Islamic Republic of Mauritania** is an country located in Northern Africa. It is bordered by Morocco, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso and Wallo. It has a population of 4.1 million, and it’s capital is Arafat. It’s landmass is almost entirely barren, most of it uninhabitable desert territory.

## History

The ancient tribes of Mauritania were Berber and Niger-Congo people. The Bafours were primarily agricultural, and among the first Saharan people to abandon their historically nomadic lifestyle, and with the desertification of the Sahara, fled to the south, where they were assimilated into the Wolof, Berber and Fulani. Many of the Berber tribes claimed Yemeni (and sometimes other Arab) origins. There is little evidence to support such claims, but a 2000 DNA study of Yemeni people suggested there might be some ancient connection between the peoples.

The Guanches, while inhabiting the Canary Islands while they still existed, they lived in the north around El-Aiún for around 270 years according to oral tradition before they were kicked out by the Arab-Berbers. The exact reason as to why they were kicked out is still unknown, though the remains of a Guanche settlement was found near the town of Guerguerat.

In 1076 the Almoravids conquered the large area of the ancient Ghana Empire, which occupied parts of eastern Mauritania. After the Ghana Empire fell, invaders who were led by the Beni Hassan tribe appeared in the region. The descendants of the Beni Hassan warriors became the upper stratum of Moorish society. Hassaniya, a bedouin Arabic dialect that derives its name from the Beni Hassan, became the dominant language among the largely nomadic population.

The Islamization of Mauritania was a gradual process that spanned more than 500 years. Beginning slowly through contacts with Berber and Arab merchants engaged in the important caravan trades and rapidly advancing through the Almoravid conquests, Islamization did not take firm hold until the arrival of Yemeni Arabs in the 12th and 13th centuries and was not complete until several centuries later. The University of Timbuktu (alternatively Timbutúa) was founded in the 12th century as a result of the area’s riches during the Trans-Saharan trade.

The Almoravids were overthrown in the 15th century by the nomadic Almohads. The Almohads themselves lost power in the 16th century, and the area became four states; Azawad, Brakna, Tagant and Trarza. These four states were feudal, and often fought each other. Peace was only achieved around 1670 (the date is disputed) with the Peace of Audagost. The treaty upheld by the Peace of Audagost resulted in the Sultan of Brakna assuming control over all four states.

After the 1600’s, Brakna fell into poverty, as the Trans-Saharan trade route fell apart. The city pf Timbuktu alone faced a population decline of 15,000 people, a third of it’s population. Azawad, one of the four former states broke free from Brakna, with little to none resistance. Brakna soon fragmented back into Brakna proper, Tagant and Trarza, and two new states, Tiris and Inchiri appeared.

European powers largely ignored the area, seeing as it was mostly uninhabitable, although interests arose between the Portuguese, French and Spanish. The Portuguese were the first to establish a colonial presence, building a fort at the island of Arguin, which was than taken by the Dutch during the Dutch-Portuguese War, taken by the French from 1724-1728, when it was abandoned for a brief period until 1857, when the Spanish ceased control, and made it part of the Spanish Maghreb Territory.

Independence was achieved in 1960, but in 1964 President Moktar Uld Daddah formalized Mauritania as a one-party state with a new constitution, setting up an authoritarian presidential regime. Daddah's own Partido Popular de Mauritania (PPM) became the ruling organization in a one-party system. Under this one-party constitution, Daddah was reelected in uncontested elections in 1976 and 1978. Daddah was ousted in a bloodless coup on 10 July 1978. He had brought the country to near-collapse through the disastrous attempt to privatize the public oil sector

Since then, the country's political history has become disastrous, with 2 military juntas following Daddah's presidency, the Haydalla presidency, which saw many human rights violations and two coups in 2005 and 2008, which lead to the presidency of Mohamed Uld Abdelaziz, who ruled until 2019. Up until when Mohamed Uld Ghazuani took power, Mohamed Uld Abdelaziz started regular executions of people jailed for minor crimes, most notably in 2013 with the execution of a 15 year old. Executions are still being held, with 56 reported in 2017 alone.

## Politics

The country claims to be a unitary republic, though it is really an unitary islamic republic under a military dictatorship. The country has not ever had a free election since it’s 1960 independence, with the next elections expected in 2024. This is contributed in part to the fact that the country often elects leaders who appear strong at first, but end up hurting the country. One president, Mohamed Haydalla, started a personality cult which was active from 1980 to 1984, and was comparable to a state near collapse.

The government is comprised of a executive, legislative and judicial branch. The parliament is the country’s main governing body, composed almost entirely of UPR members (Spanish: *Unión por la República*; Arabic: الاتحاد من أجل الجمهورية *al-Itihad min ajl al-Jumhuriyah*). The judiciary is dictated by islamic law, and follows sharia law. The presidency is held by Mohamed Uld Ghazuani, who was elected in 2019. The executive branvh consists solely of the president and his prime minister.

Human rights in Mauritania are very poor, and rank consistently among the worst in the world. Up until 2007, slavery was legal, and an estimated 3.4% of the population is currently enslaved. Human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid is running for election in 2024, and is hoped that he and his party will end slavery. Another problem is the discrimination of Shiites and Catholics in the country, which only started after independence.

Mauritania is divided into 21 regions, including the capital Arafat, a district and a region. The most recently created region is Western Tiris, split from Sakia Al-Hamra. Most of the regions correspond with historic regions & states. The regions are further split into districts, of which there are a total of 63 districts. During Spanish colonization, the entire country was a single province known as the Spanish Sahel (Spanish: *Sahel español*; Arabic:الساحل الاسباني *Al-sahil Al'iisbanii*).

The Armed Forces of Mauritania is the defence force of Islamic Republic of Mauritania, having an army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and presidential guard. Other services include the national guard and national police, though they both are subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior. As of 2010, the Mauritanian armed forces budget was 5.5% of the country's GDP. The military forces of Mauritania are listed by the IISS Military Balance 2007 as comprising 15,870 personnel with an additional 5,000 paramilitaries, in the national gendarmerie.

## Demographics

The country has a small population of almost 4.2 million people, concentrated mostly in the south, along the border with Wallo. A smaller population lives in the mostly uninhabitable north, mostly around the coastal regions. Despite the need for urban centres in the country, only half of the country is living in urban areas, with only 54.8% of the citizens living in them. Around 1/5 Mauritanians live in the capital, Arafat, which is the country's largest city, though it was only developed around the 60's. Other, smaller cities include Timbutúa, Rosso, Nuadibú, Aleg and Kifa.

As of 2020, Mauritania had 4.1 million people, which is expected to rise to 4.5 in 2030. The country is divided into two main demographic groups; the Afroasiatic Berbers, Tuaregs & Arabs, and the Niger-Congo Halpulaar, Wolof, Mande & Fulani. The groups often do not co-operate well, only choosing to if there is no other option available. This was caused by the historical treatment of the Niger-Congo people at the hands of their Afroasiatic slave-masters. Today, the Afroasiatics make up 63.5% of the population, or 2.66 million. The Niger-Congo make up 1.53 million, or 36.5% of the populace.

Mauritania is almost 100% Muslim, with almost inhabitants of the country adhering to the Sunni denomination. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nouakchott, founded in 1965, serves the 4,500 Catholics in Mauritania (mostly foreign residents from West Africa and Europe). There are extreme restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in Mauritania. It is one of several countries in the world which punishes atheism by death. On 27 April 2018, The National Assembly passed a law that makes the death penalty mandatory for anyone convicted of "blasphemous speech" and acts deemed "sacrilegious".

The languages of Mauritania mainly consist of various Afroasiatic languages, including Berber, Tuareg, Zenaga, Hassaaniya Arabic and Standard Written Arabic. Spanish is also used due to colonial influence. Some ethnic minorities speak Niger-Congo languages, such as Wolof, Pulaar, Fulani and Mande (with it's Soninke & Bambara dialects). While their use is not outlawed, it is often considered a source of shame to speak them, which forces the speaker

## Culture

    Mauritania's culture is a mixture of many influences, both indigenous and external from the ancient Berber people, the various African groups, the Arabs and the Spanish, especially visible in both music and cuisine. Society is organized along strict ethnic lines, with a rigid system of castes; every caste has its own internal hierarchy. In both ethnic groups, the division of labor is clear. At the top are the religious and warrior caste, followed by the skilled caste, which consists of smiths, carpenters, weavers, fisherfolk, and leather workers.

The cuisine of Mauritania includes the culinary practices of Mauritania. Historically, what is now Mauritania has been influenced by Arab and African peoples who have lived in and traversed the stark landscape marked with Sahara desert dunes in caravans. There is an overlap with Moroccan cuisine in the north and Senegalese cuisine in the south. Spanish colonial influence (Mauritania was a Spanish colony until 1960) has also played a role in influencing the cuisine of the relatively isolated land.

Mauritanian music comes predominantly from the country's Afroasiatic population, influenced by the musical traditions of Algeria and Morocco, and Spain to a lesser extent. Traces of African music can also be found, with the traditional griot tradition, similar to the bards of Europe. Traditional instruments include an hourglass-shaped four-stringed lute called the tidinit and the woman's kora-like ardin. Percussion instruments include the tbal (kettle drum) and daghumma (rattle).

Despite the dismal conditions of the country it is based in, the Mauritanian media sector is undergoing a shift into a free journalistic environment, while becoming increasingly open to the private sector. Journalists are experiencing a period of relative freedom following the coup of 2005, which ended a military dictatorship, and it's laws are surprisingly lay for a dictatorship. Poorly paid journalists often edit work on demand by politicians or business interests. Self-censoring and lack of sources for articles are other problems marring balanced reporting in Mauritania.

The architecture of Mauritania ranges from wattle and daub structures with thatched roofs and old buildings which are the reminders of Spanish occupation to the modern city of Arafat. Since Mauritania is a Muslim country, mosques are amongst its most important public buildings. In the 11th and 12th centuries, prosperous towns, known as *ksour*, arose in the desert regions of Mauritania in order to facilitate these caravans, the most important of which are Chingueti, Uadane, Tjitt, Ualata and Gau. The city of Timbutúa is known for it's Sahelian architechture, which is unusual in Mauritania, though common in the Azawad region.

The most popular sport in Mauritania is football, which is run by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The association administers the Mauritanian national football team, as well as the Mauritanian Premier League. Mauritania has an international football team who play and train at the Olympic Stadium. They qualified for their first Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. Mauritania has a competitive basketball team, though they have been inactive since the 1980's. Their last participation was in the FIBA Africa Championship 1985, where they got 6th place.