At least three people have been reported dead shortly after the presidential election in Mauritania, due to clashes between security forces and protesters, authorities reported on Tuesday
An unspecified number of individuals were injured in the incidents.
Protests erupted in the capital and other parts of the country on Monday night after President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was announced as the winner of the election.
Ghazouani’s decisive victory in the first round secured him a second term as president.
However, Biram Dah Abeid, the second-placed candidate and well-known anti-slavery activist, accused the authorities of “massive fraud” and claimed the election results were falsified.
Abeid called for “peaceful demonstrations and peaceful gatherings” in response.
Authorities reported that security forces confronted protesters in Kaedi, the largest city in the southern region and an opposition stronghold with a significant Black population.
Protests also took place in the towns of Nouadhibou, Rosso, Zoueirat, and Boghe, which are also strongholds for Abeid.
Following Monday’s unrest, the government blocked mobile internet access and pledged to arrest those responsible for the violence.
The electoral commission, which includes members from various political parties, rejected the opposition’s allegations of voting irregularities.
Three international election observer missions reported in their preliminary statements on Monday that the voting process was conducted in a “peaceful and transparent atmosphere.”
Ghazouani, despite being accused of corruption and mismanagement by his opponents, remains popular among Mauritanians who view him as a symbol of stability.
Historically, Mauritania’s Arab and Amazigh elite enslaved Black people from the north-western Sahara for centuries.
Mauritania was the last country in the world to outlaw slavery, doing so in 1981, but human rights organisations assert that slavery still persists in the country.
Nancy Mbamalu
Follow us on:
