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Troops die in Mauritania ambush
Twelve Mauritanian soldiers have been killed in an ambush by suspected Islamist rebels, officials have said.
The attack occurred east of Zouerat, close to the border with Western Sahara, officials said.
They indicated that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has been blamed for previous attacks in the country, could be responsible.
The group had threatened action after a recent coup that toppled Mauritania's first democratically elected president.
Following the 6 August coup, an internet message attributed to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb urged Mauritanians to take up arms against the military leaders who seized power.
The group is largely based in neighboring Algeria but was blamed for the killing of four French tourists in Mauritania last December.
It was also believed to be behind an attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nouakchott, two months later.
The US has identified the desert regions of Mauritania and its neighbors as a potential haven for Islamist militants, setting up joint-security programmes in the area.
But the US also suspended more than $20m (£11m) in non-humanitarian aid following the August coup. Twelve Mauritanian soldiers have been killed in an ambush by suspected Islamist rebels, officials have said. ... more -
Al-Qaida and the US Agree on Mauritania
Al-Qaida and the United States are not usually on the same side of an issue. One exception though: Mauritania. After the bloodless military coup of Aug. 6 in this North African country, both al-Qaida and the U.S. were quick to denounce very vocally the new regime.
While it is true that this coup puts a stop to the recent democratization process, it would have been wise for the West to read between the lines and assess that one of the major reasons for this event was to stop the Islamists.
Mauritania has a history of coups: The country has had 31 coup attempts since 1978; some were successful. Sheikh Sidi Ould Abdallahi, the president that was unseated, was the first democratically elected leader of Mauritania in 2007. He was a civilian and a democrat but had been contested within his own majority and the country had witnessed a major political crisis in the three months preceding the coup.
Abdallahi made mistakes that made him unpopular with the population and the very powerful military. He opened up the prisons, freeing at the same time dangerous Islamists. According to a Mauritanian intellectual: "This was a mistake because, in a country with an oriental mentality where the despotic [need] remains very strong, this democratic concession was seen as a sign of weakness." Thus the Islamists have been all the more active for the past two years. Furthermore, the president made several gestures to please the Islamists, such as re-establishing the Muslim week-end (Friday and Saturday), building a mosque in the presidential palace, allowing the creation of an Islamist political party that legitimized Islamists.
But what was not tolerated by many people is the wave of terrorism that Mauritania experienced. Indeed, in a span of one month between December 2007 and January 2008, the Paris-Dakar race had to be canceled because of credible terror threats in Mauritania and three serious terrorist attacks that took place.
Among a large portion of the population, these terror attacks represented a tipping point. Mauritanians blamed the president for not having a strong grip on the Islamists, as his predecessors did. In fact, after the attacks the president seemed hesitant to take the appropriate measures to forcefully tackle the terrorist issue. And contestation of his power started to grow stronger, especially among the military that called for a tougher stance on terrorists.
Mauritanians have a long tradition of tolerance -- it is one of only three Arab countries hosting an Israeli embassy. Ahmed Ould Daddah, a leader of the opposition and nephew of the first president of independent Mauritania, said: "Mauritanians are very humiliated. For us, a foreigner is sacred. Never were any Frenchmen so coldly murdered. This is a new phenomenon, a very serious one."
The security situation also went from bad to worse, and it was not a major surprise that the military decided to seize power to reverse this trend.
Al-Qaida right away knew that this change of regime was going to be a setback for them. So, AQIM issued a communiqué on the web calling for all the forces in the Maghreb to converge to Mauritania to kick out the new regime and install an Islamic state. Also interestingly, AQIM accused the United States and France of being the instigators of the coup. Weirdly enough, at about the same time, the U.S. and France both forcefully condemned the coup calling the new regime illegitimate and suspended their non-humanitarian help, which actually included financial support to fight the war against radical Islam.
The fact that al-Qaida and some Western nations agree over the new Mauritanian regime should make the U.S. and French diplomacy review their troubling assessment of the situation. This all the more so that North Africa has become a very important battlefield for al-Qaida and that Mauritania, a vast and sparsely populated (three million), has always been the soft underbelly of the region. Al-Qaida and the United States are not usually on the same side of an issue. One exception though: Mauritania. After the bloodless mil... more -
African Union to suspend Mauritania's membership
The announcement to suspend Mauritania's membership comes following a military coup that deposed the nation's democratically elected president. President Abdallhi was detained by renegade soldiers, lead by General Abdelaziz, after attempting to fire army officers. The president was put in power after the nation held its first free and fair elections in over two decades. The announcement to suspend Mauritania's membership comes following a military coup that deposed the nation's democratically... more
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Army Officers Seize Power in Mauritania
A group of senior military officers in Mauritania arrested the country’s president and prime minister on Wednesday in a bloodless coup against the first freely elected government there in more than 20 years. A group of senior military officers in Mauritania arrested the country’s president and prime minister on Wednesday in a bloodless coup... more
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Coup demonstrations in Mauritania
Demonstrations have been taking place in Mauritania both for and against the coup that overthrew the country's first democratically elected president.
Police in the capital, Nouakchott, broke up a protest by hundreds of people against the coup leader, General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz.
Earlier, about 1,000 people had marched through the capital chanting the general's name.
The African Union has demanded the president's release.
President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was detained by renegade soldiers on Wednesday after he tried to dismiss four senior army officers - including Mr Abdelaziz, the head of the presidential guard.
Read more... Demonstrations have been taking place in Mauritania both for and against the coup that overthrew the country's first democratical... more -
occhi negli occhi - memorie di viaggio
Un racconto di viaggio intimo, viscerale, una pagina del proprio diario e un invito a guardare. "Occhi negli occhi" è un richiamo alla visione, un tuffo dello sguardo su un altro mondo, l'Africa, e anche l'incontro straordinario con gli occhi di chi da questo mondo ci guarda. Un racconto di viaggio intimo, viscerale, una pagina del proprio diario e un invito a guardare. "Occhi negli occhi" è un ric... more
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Mauritania: città-biblioteche nel deserto
Il tempo sta scadendo per i preziosi manoscritti abbandonati nelle città storiche della Mauritania. In queste oasi millenarie, dichiarate dall’Unesco Patrimonio Mondiale dell’Umanità, giacciono migliaia di manoscritti antichissimi, minacciati dalla polvere e dalle termiti.
Questo video è un Trailer dell'omonimo documentario di Rossella Piccinno (www.dakhlavision.com)
Synopsis
La Mauritania è stata, per molti secoli, un centro d’irradiamento culturale in cui la propagazione e l’acquisizione del sapere dominavano la vita degli uomini e costituivano un’attività di fondamentale importanza. Le vestigia storiche di città antiche come Chinguetti, Ouadane, Tichit e Oualata, classificate dall’Unesco Patrimonio Mondiale dell’Umanità, sono una delle espressioni visibili di questa enorme ricchezza culturale.
Posizionate nel cuore del Sahara occidentale, queste antichissime oasi nacquero inizialmente per servire le rotte carovaniere legate al grande commercio trans-sahariano, ben presto divennero centri d’insegnamento religioso, dove fiorirono moschee e mederse, scuole coraniche, la cui fama indiscussa si diffuse sino alla lontana Arabia.
In questo quadro particolare sorsero numerose biblioteche, le cui migliaia di manoscritti, riguardanti più campi del pensiero umano, dalla religione alla matematica, richiamarono per secoli intellettuali e studiosi da tutto il mondo arabo ed alimentarono la nascita di un’intensa attività editoriale. La generalizzazione della cultura consentì ai cittadini di ogni classe sociale l’accesso al mondo del sapere, tanto che intorno al XVI secolo, in ogni casa di queste città si trovava un erudito.
Attualmente, l’abbandono degli antichi traffici trans-sahariani, unito ad una siccità senza precedenti nel Sahara, hanno causato il declino e l’abbandono progressivo di queste capitali nel deserto. Ormai, in questi luoghi, non restano che poche anime ad abitare quello che è solo il ricordo di questo glorioso passato mentre le dune avanzano inesorabilmente minacciando la vita stessa degli uomini.
Con questo documentario, realizzato in collaborazione con la Croce Rossa Italiana, andiamo alla scoperta di queste antiche città-biblioteche e lanciamo l’allarme di una civiltà assediata dal deserto.
Credits
Devised and directed by Rossella Piccino | Camera: Luca Pivetti | Sound: Fabio Dorio | Editing: Rossella Piccinno | Voice-over recording : Tommaso del Signore | Translation and english voice-over: Maggie Armstrong, Nikolas Gray | Production: DakhlaVision | r.t.: 54’20” | Italy 2006 Il tempo sta scadendo per i preziosi manoscritti abbandonati nelle città storiche della Mauritania. In queste oasi millenarie, dichiar... more -
Croce Rossa in Mauritania.
Mauritania, città di Atar, un centro nutrizionale della Croce Rossa italiana.
Con una superficie grande quasi tre volte la Francia, la Mauritania conta solo 3.000.000 di abitanti ed è uno dei paesi più aridi e poveri del mondo. Nota per tutto il medio-evo come culla della cultura islamica e come centro nevralgico dei commerci trans-sahariani, la Mauritania, in seguito alla colonizzazione e ad una siccità senza precedenti nel Sahara, vive da più di settant'anni una condizione di declino, abbandono e profonda crisi politica ed economica.
In questo video testimoniamo l'attività di uno dei centri nutrizionali nel cuore del deserto mauritano, dove i bambini sottopeso vengono ogni giorno nutriti con un pasto che consenta loro la copertura calorica e proteica del loro fabbisogno giornaliero. Mauritania, città di Atar, un centro nutrizionale della Croce Rossa italiana. ... more -
Colpo di stato in mauritania
per la serie "conflitti dimenticati serie promozione" posto il video della bbc sul recente colpo di stato in mauritania?
frega niente a qualcuno? i datteri li possiamo anche comperare da un'altra parte... per la serie "conflitti dimenticati serie promozione" posto il video della bbc sul recente colpo di stato in mauritania? ... more -
Mauritanian Army Overthrows Government
Army officers upset with government overtures toward Islamic hard-liners staged a coup in Mauritania on Wednesday, overthrowing the first government to be freely elected in this sprawling desert nation in more than 20 years. Army officers upset with government overtures toward Islamic hard-liners staged a coup in Mauritania on Wednesday, overthrowing the fi... more
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AFRICA ON THE ROAD: VAGABONDING ACCROSS AFRICA
Fabio Miggiano, an Italian young Traveller and his "Africa on the road", an amazing trip accross all Africa, from Tanger to Cape Town; totally by public transport.
AFRICA ON THE ROAD IN PILLS:
30.000 KM on the road
166 days in Africa
17 Countries Crossed
1 Person (crazy one!)
Ps=do you think is enough!? ;)
For more info: http://www.africaontheroad.it
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Fabio Miggiano, un giovane viaggiatore italiano ci racconta il suo "Africa on the road", un viaggio d'altri tempi attraverso tutta l'Africa, dal Marocco al Sudafrica con l'ausilio dei mezzi pubblici.
AFRICA ON THE ROAD IN PILLOLE:
30.000 Km percorsi
166 giorni in terra d'Africa
17 Paesi Attraversati
1 sola persona (matta!) ;)
Ps=pensi sia abbastanza!? ;)
Per maggiori info: http://www.africaontheroad.it Fabio Miggiano, an Italian young Traveller and his "Africa on the road", an amazing trip accross all Africa, from Tanger to ... more -
Free Western Sahara 'Unrealistic'
A UN mediator in talks on Western Sahara recently said that independence for the disputed territory is unrealistic.
The Polisario Front, a Sahrawi separatist movement supported by Algeria, described the UN mediators remarks as "ridiculous", and affirmed that the Polisario Front would continue UN-mediated negotiations with Morocco.
The UN-mediated talks last year brought together Morocco, the Polisario as well as representatives of neighbouring Algeria and Mauritania. No real progress has been made since the talks began. A UN mediator in talks on Western Sahara recently said that independence for the disputed territory is unrealistic. ... more -
African Exodus
Mariana van Zeller travels to Mauritania where a new, deadly route has emerged for African immigrants trying to reach Europe.
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