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> >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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