WHY IS THERE SILENCE OVER MAURETANIA, ARAB MOZLEM SLAVE STATE??

Mauretania is part of Euro-Med!

Yes, that word again:OIL!

"BW: We should also point out that this part of the world which hasn't received very much media attention is becoming more strategic. In addition to the US military coming in, there's also the oil that's just been discovered off the coast of Mauritania, and foreign companies are bidding for rights in the offshore zone. And they say West Africa could become very strategic in the 21st century in terms of global oil resources.

AW: Yes, that's right. The oil should be a way to help those who are starving and to keep our country safe, democratic, and rich. It shouldn't be used to kill our people. Taya and his family, tribe and followers were very happy about the oil being discovered and thought it was another good reason to keep anyone else from power. he first priority of the president was always to save his skin, his family, and some of his friends.

BW: Any last words for people in America and New York City?

AW: We want people to help us organize, fighting peacefully without violence, against this regime. One day when we have a peaceful country, we will invite you to visit. But right now we have to struggle against racism, slavery, and dictatorship in Mauritania."

MAURITANIA: SLAVERY, ETHNIC CLEANSING, DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION

Voices of the African Liberation Forces of Mauritania (FLAM)

by Bill Weinberg

The Aug. 3 coup d'etat in Mauritania brought this West African nation briefly into the headlines. But the African Liberation Forces of Mauritania (FLAM) have been struggling for over a generation to bring democracy and equal rights for the Black African peoples of the country's south, who are disenfranchised from power by the ruling Arab political class. These peoples have been expropriated of their lands, forced into refugee camps, and even sold into slavery—a system which thrives with impunity. The situation mirrors that in Sudan, but has received far less media attention. Now, however, the stationing of a US Special Forces troops in Mauritania to counter supposed Islamic terrorist networks, as well as the recent discovery of oil, give this suffering nation a new strategic importance.

On Aug. 9, Bill Weinberg spoke with Mamadou Barry and Abdarahmane Wone, North American representatives of the FLAM, over the airwaves of WBAI Radio in New York City. They spoke about the long struggle in Mauritania, the prospects after the coup, and the urgent need to bring the situation there to the world's attention.

Bill Weinberg (BW): Your country has been in the news recently because there was just a coup d'etat there, where the president who'd been in power more than twenty years, Maoya Sidi Ahmed Ould Taya, was overthrown exactly a week ago by an entity calling itself the Military Council for Justice and Democracy. And the new leader is apparently Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall. But the FLAM has been opposing the regime for more than twenty years now since it was founded in 1983. Can you tell us a little bit about your struggle and what the new developments in Mauritania might mean for it?

Mamadou Barry (MB): Good morning to everyone. My name is Mamadou Barry, general secretary of the FLAM. Yes, my organization was founded in March 1983, out of the need of answering the discrimination and slavery. It was targeted to fight the system of racial discrimination in Mauritania. Our country was colonized by France, but we got them out in 1960. But then the political and economic power was maintained by the Arab part of Mauritania. And the black population was subjected to racial discrimination. So from that time there was a need for blacks to do something to be liberated. Its not just one government but a system; we've had several governments from 1960 to today, but its almost the same people who are ruling the country. What the coup d'etat will mean for Blacks and really for all Mauritanians: it is the same situation as of today, because we have seen no signs to make us optimistic about what will happen in the new future.

THE REST HERE. MORE HERE VIDEO HERE

The BBC's take:

BBC - Ethics - Slavery: Modern slavery

The last country to abolish slavery was the African state of Mauritania, ... I'm not sure what the average price of a slave is today, but it can't be more ...
www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/slavery/modern/modern