Dear Fatou,
I think this is an opportunity for all of us who would like to contribute to
the struggle of our black brothers and sisters in this country.It will be
great if contact addresses could be provided one can send protest
letters.Reading this ,one start to wonder how our "Pan Africanist",the Yaya
Jammehs,could entertained this racist regime if not for the "check
Book"diplomacy.Thank you for this infor.
For Freedom
Saiks
----- Original Message -----
From: fatou sowe <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2000 2:01 PM
Subject: Fw: SUPPORT MAURITANIAN PEOPLE
> FWD
> -----
> > >RESOLUTION FROM THE SEMINAR ORGANISED BY ARIBIS (Africa Research and
> > >Information Bureau in Sweden), on the 7th October 2000.
> > >
> > >Subject: THE HISTORY AND STRUGGLE OF THE MAURITANIAN PEOPLE .
> > >
> > >INTRODUCTION
> > >
> > >Mauritania lies in the north-west of Africa covering an area of about
one
> > >million and seventy thousand square kilometer (1 070 000 km2).
> > >It borders the Atlantic to the west, Senegal to the south, Mali to the
> > >south-east, Algeria to the north and the Western Sahara to the
> north-west.
> > >The country is flat, lies in the heart of the Sahel, mostly dry and
> > >desertic. Infact, the process of desertification is rapidly consuming
the
> > >southern belt of the country, thus threatening the ecosystem of the
> entire
> > >area.
> > >
> > >As it is today, Mauritania is peopled by about two million five hundred
> > >(2.5million) Black Africans and Arabo-Berbers. The Black Africans who
> make
> > >up more than half of the total population are divided into the
following
> > >ethnic groups:
> > >
> > > a.. Fulbes (Fulanis, Toucoulor, Haalpularen, Peul or Fulata).
Their
> > >language is called Pulaar or Fulfulbe.
> > > a.. Soninkes or Sarakhoule. Their language is also called Soninke
or
> > >Sarakhoule.
> > > a.. Wolofs and their language is called Wolof.
> > > a.. Bambaras and their language is called Bambara.
> > >
> > >The Arabo-Berbers on the other hand are divided into two groups:
> > >
> > > a.. White Moors called Beydan
> > > a.. Black Moors called Haraatin (former and present slaves) who
had
> > >been kidnapped into slavery by the Berbers and later on assimilated
into
> > >the Arab-North African culture as the lowest social segment in that
> > >society.
> > >
> > >Both the white and black moors speak an Arabic dialect called Hassanya.
> The
> > >white moors would like to call themselves Arabs while the black moors
> stick
> > >to calling themselves Mauritanians.
> > >
> > >Apart from having Islam as their single, common religion and living in
> the
> > >same geographical location, the Black Africans who live mainly in the
> > >south-east of the country and the Arabo-Berbers who used to live in the
> > >north before they were pushed to the south by the drought, have little
in
> > >common.
> > >
> > >The socio-political structure in Mauritania is similar and comparable
> only
> > >to the former South African Apartheid system. The only difference being
> > >that the Apartheid in the latter was constitutionalized while in the
> former
> > >it is just practised quietly. This structure is based on racist
premises
> to
> > >ensure Arab domination. A structure that allows the minority to rule
over
> > >the majority hard handedly.
> > >
> > >Therefore, it has been difficult and impossible for the two ethnic
> groups,
> > >Black Africans and Berbers, which inhabit the country to live together
in
> > >peace. Since independence, the country has been ruled by different
Berber
> > >regimes. What all these regimes have in common is that they have been
> > >openly racist against the Black people in the country. They have been
> > >embarking on a systematic process of building up a socio-political and
> > >economic system that would give the Berbers the opportunity to dominate
> all
> > >important position and everything that is good in the country.
> > >
> > >There are records of the regimes using conflict situations as an excuse
> to
> > >carryout the most savage attacks against the Black community. These
> attacks
> > >have been waged in the form of:
> > >
> > > a.. Collective dismissal of Black people from the civil service
and
> > >purging of Black officers from the army, police and national guard,
> > > a.. Indiscriminate arrests of innocent people, mass detentions and
> > >imprisonments without charge or trial of men, women and school
children,
> > > a.. Emptying hundreds of villages of their African inhabitants who
> > >would be loaded in military trucks and then deported to Senegal or
Mali.
> > >
> > >More than 100,000 (one hundred thousand) Black Mauritanians have been
> > >deported in that manner. All that in a futile attempt by the regime in
> > >trying to clean the country of itīs Black population, and to give the
> > >impression to the international community that Mauritania is 100% Arab.
> > >
> > >The Berber military regime both manipulates and falsifies all documents
> and
> > >statistical data to hide these fascist policies which have been worked
> out
> > >to oppress the Black community. The official violations of Black
peopleīs
> > >human and national rights have encouraged and helped perpetuate the
> > >practice of slavery and slave trade within the Berber community in the
> > >country. In this criminal violation of basic human rights, the regime
has
> > >been receiving massive moral and material support from different Arab
> > >countries.
> > >
> > >Though this Arabo-Berber conspiracy has been going on for many, many
> years,
> > >it has not yet attracted the interests of the international human
rights
> > >activists or mass media sufficiently. The state is doing all it can to
> > >prevent its inhuman violations of the Black peopleīs national rights to
> > >reach out to world opinion.
> > >
> > >
> > >THE SEMINAR RESOLUTION
> > >
> > >Rallying behind ARIBIS, the participants at the seminar would like to
> > >extend their sincere gratitude to the representative of FLAM () for the
> > >very good and informative deliberation on THE HISTORY AND STRUGGLE OF
THE
> > >MAURITANIAN PEOPLE AGAINST THE ARABO-BERBER OPPRESSION, EXPANSION AND
> > >GENOCIDE.
> > >
> > >Time is crucial in the fight against the evil system in Mauritania
before
> > >it becomes uncontrollable. In that vein, the participants at the
seminar
> > >support the struggle under the banner of FLAM -african front for the
> liberation of mauritania-for justice, freedom,
> > >equality and transparency in Mauritania and agreed on the following:
> > >
> > > a.. To appeal to all the people of the world to condemn the
> > >Mauritanian racist regime.
> > >
> > > b.. To appeal to groups, organisations, people of well meaning etc
> to
> > >support FLAM for a better Mauritania.
> > > a.. To help in spreading objective and concrete information about
> the
> > >regimeīs violations of human and national rights of the majority of the
> > >people that it is supposed to serve.
> > > a.. To help in exposing and putting an end to the Arab involvement
> and
> > >participation in this gross crime.
> > >
> > > b.. To extend real and effective support for and solidarity with
the
> > >Black people to speed up their struggle to dismantle the racist regime
in
> > >order to build a New Democratic and Better Mauritania where both ethnic
> > >groups shall enjoy their right to be different and free from the wreath
> of
> > >racist dictatorship.
> > > a.. To appeal to progressive individuals, groups, organisations
etc,
> > >to send protest letters to the Mauritanian racist regime.
> > >
> > > b.. To send appeal letters to the UN, OAU, None-Aligned Movements
> etc,
> > >to put pressure on this racist regime for democratisation and to force
> the
> > >regime to make the result of the demographic census public.
> > >
> > >for more infomation
> FLAM
> BP 5811
> DAKAR-FANN
> SENEGAL
> WEBBSITE-HTTP:/membres.tripod.fr/flamnet/
> > >
> >
> >
_________________________________________________________________________
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http://www.hotmail.com.
> >
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> > http://profiles.msn.com.
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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