Amnesty International's report on Mass Atrocities, Enforced Disappearances, and Forced Displacement in Mauritania (1989-1990)
Human Rights Abuses in Mauritania (1989-1990)
What Really Happened in Mauritania (1989): State-Sponsored Ethnic Cleansing of Black Mauritanians from the South
State-Sanctioned Repression and Human Rights Violations in Mauritania (1989-1992)
The Mauritanian authorities have attempted to justify the repression of Black Mauritanians by portraying it as a necessary response to insurrection or external threats. However, the actions of security forces primarily target unarmed civilians living in villages. In reality, the state’s power and resources are being used by one ethnic community to wage war against another. Several branches of the security forces have been implicated in systematic human rights abuses, including mass displacement, torture, and extrajudicial executions.
The National Guard, a paramilitary force responsible for maintaining law and order and patrolling frontier zones, is heavily involved in operations in the southern regions near Senegal and Mali. It operates separately from the army and falls under the Ministry of the Interior. The Gendarmerie, which is responsible for rural areas, functions differently from the police, who are stationed in towns. Meanwhile, the army has garrisons in certain towns within the valley region and has reportedly deployed elite units from Atar to conduct operations in the south. These security forces conduct regular patrols in rural areas, often using their bases in larger villages as operational centers.
In addition to state security forces, the Mauritanian government has also armed and mobilized Haratine militias, which lack any legal foundation. The Haratines, who were historically enslaved, have been settled on lands previously occupied by Black Mauritanians who were expelled. The authorities have provided these militia groups with weapons and instructed them to organize their own defense. However, rather than merely defending themselves, these Haratine militias have launched punitive expeditions against unarmed Black villagers. Reports indicate that security forces not only permit but actively escort these militias during their attacks. In some cases, Haratines who refuse to participate in the violence have been threatened with reprisals by the security forces themselves.
Arbitrary Arrests, Torture, and Forced Disappearances
The combined actions of state security forces and Haratine militias have resulted in widespread human rights abuses. Arbitrary identity checks and racial profiling are systematically enforced, with Black Mauritanians forced to prove their Mauritanian ancestry in addition to showing their identity documents. Illegal searches and confiscation of property are common, while entire villages are subjected to strict curfews that are enforced with deadly force. Villagers returning home from work after curfew hours have been shot on sight. Amnesty International has documented numerous cases of extrajudicial executions, where victims posed no threat and were killed purely based on ethnic identity.
Mass arrests and prolonged detentions without trial are also widespread. Many detainees face torture, including beatings, burnings, and the notorious “Jaguar” method, where victims are suspended upside down and subjected to extreme physical abuse. Sexual violence against women in detention has been systematically reported, with security forces using rape as a weapon of intimidation and humiliation. Many individuals arrested by the security forces or Haratine militias have disappeared, with no records of their whereabouts or fate. Some victims were last seen being taken to military camps, from which they never returned.
These violations are in direct contravention of both Mauritanian law and international human rights conventions. The breakdown of the rule of law has led to an environment of impunity, where the security forces and militias commit atrocities without fear of consequences. The Mauritanian government has taken no action to hold perpetrators accountable, further enabling mass displacement and ethnic persecution. Entire Black Mauritanian communities have been forced to flee to Senegal and Mali, creating an ongoing humanitarian crisis that demands international intervention.
Civilian Victims of the 1989-1992
No Justice, No Peace
Nouakchott
In the capital, Nouakchott, arbitrary arrests and detentions targeted Black Mauritanians, particularly those suspected of opposing the government. A 35-year-old woman was detained at the Central Police Station between March 17 and May 27, 1990, before being deported to Senegal along with 50 others. Security forces confiscated their belongings and forced them to cross the Senegal River naked. Similarly, two young women were beaten at the police station in Rosso, had their jewelry confiscated, and were expelled in February 1990.
Alleged government opponents were also arrested in Nouakchott. Ladji Traore, an economist and former prisoner of conscience, was detained on October 18, 1989, by state security officers and held without charge or trial. Sources indicate he was arrested for opposing the government’s expulsion policy. He was detained in a police-run house, denied visits, and remained imprisoned despite the lack of legal grounds.
Kaédi and Djeol
Several human rights violations occurred in Kaédi and its surrounding villages. In January 1990, Hamady Djoumo Ba, a 50-year-old fisherman from Djeol, was killed by security forces for leaving his house before the curfew ended. The curfew varied across regions but generally lasted from 5 or 7 PM until early morning, and villagers who failed to comply, often due to a lack of timekeeping devices, were shot on sight. On March 5, 1990, Abdoul Bouka N’Diaye (30) and Mamadou N’Diaye (19) were arrested by the National Guard while fishing in Djeol. Their hands were tied behind their backs with their fishing nets, and they were taken to Thiourouyal, where they were executed in cold blood.
In May 1990, Cire Djekou Sow (66) was arrested by the National Guard while traveling between Kaédi and Djeol. During an identity check, soldiers found an invoice for a radio purchased by his son in Senegal, leading them to accuse him of anti-government activities. He was subjected to “Jaguar” torture, transferred to Kaédi Prison, and detained for over two months. On August 4, 1990, he and six others were released but forced to cross into Senegal naked, as security forces had burned their clothes.
Boghé and Wothie
The military imposed severe restrictions on daily life in Boghé and Wothie, requiring members of the Hal-Pulaar (Peul) ethnic group to obtain authorization before engaging in farming, fishing, or pasturing livestock. Despite having a valid fishing permit, issued by the Bababe Gendarmerie detachment, five villagers from Wothie, including Lô Boubacar Amath (43), were arrested by an army patrol in April 1990. They were believed to have been detained at the Azlat military camp, located between Aleg and Boghé, where they were held for months without charges.
On April 12, 1990, Thierno Saibatou Ba (57), a religious leader from Ngoral-Guidal near Boghé, was executed by national guardsmen in front of his students. Witnesses reported that he was climbing up the riverbank after his daily Ramadan bath when he was accosted and shot, despite no evidence of wrongdoing.
Maghama and Sinthiane Padalal
In Maghama District, the military forced villagers to provide food and livestock to troops stationed in their communities. On the night of May 8-9, 1990, Harouna Demba Diallo (34), known as Hadji, was arrested in Sinthiane Padalal for failing to offer his cattle to soldiers. He was severely beaten and left outside the village before escaping across the river to Senegal, his body covered in wounds.
The security forces also compiled lists of villagers with relatives in Senegal, leading to widespread arrests. Those identified were bound, beaten, confined to homes, and subjected to intimidation tactics, including soldiers firing rifle shots into the air before running back into the village.
Selibaby and Ould Yenge
Entire villages in Selibaby were forcibly displaced under military supervision. In February 1990, soldiers burned down the villages of Gourel Pe, Liradji, Marsel, and Gourel Manadji, forcing their inhabitants to relocate to M’Bome. The displaced villagers faced regular beatings, whippings, and reports of rape between February and May 1990.
On April 10, 1990, in Moudji near Selibaby, a military patrol and armed Haratine militia raided the village, searching homes for weapons. They arrested seven men, including Silly Youme Ba (47) and Mamadou Demba Sall (22). Contrary to villagers’ assumptions that they had been taken to Selibaby, the men were executed outside the village—three were shot, while four had their heads crushed with stones.
On April 20, 1990, a militia group of 60 Haratines, escorted by two soldiers, raided Woyndouyoli, seven kilometers from Selibaby. They tied up 15 men, left them under the sun for hours without food or water, then executed four men in the afternoon, including Harouna Ousmane Sow and Adama Souleymane Ba. The remaining 11 were taken away, and seven were later executed.
In Ould Yenge, entire families disappeared after being arrested by security forces. In February 1990, Adama N’Diaye, his wife Salamatou Sow (Boolo), and their nine children were taken into the bush by soldiers. They were never seen again. In November 1989, 27 residents of Mouta-Ala, including Harouna Diaw and Djibo Mody Djabou, were arrested after Peul herders fled to Mali. The fate of these people remains unknown.
Aleg and Azlat Military Camp
Reports suggest that hundreds of Black Mauritanians were detained at Azlat military camp, located between Aleg and Boghé. In March 1990, in Diery near Boghé (Aleg region), 16 villagers, including Kanni Sall and Oumar Thiam (15), were arrested by National Guardsmen conducting house searches for weapons. Their whereabouts remain unknown, raising concerns that they may have been executed extrajudicially.
Rosso and Forced Expulsions to Senegal
Rosso, a key border town, served as a deportation center where security forces held detainees before expelling them to Senegal. Reports indicate that dozens of Black Mauritanians, as well as Senegalese, Malians, Guineans, and Ghanaians, were detained in police stations in Nouakchott and Rosso before being expelled. Many were beaten, stripped of their belongings, and forced to cross the Senegal River naked.
OUR FATHERS DESERVE JUSTICE
Between 1989 and 1991, Mauritanian authorities systematically targeted Black Mauritanian soldiers in an act of ethnic cleansing. Approximately 3,000 were arbitrarily detained, subjected to torture, and held incommunicado, with an estimated 600 summarily executed without due process. If the Mauritanian government disputes these facts, it should present evidence to the contrary.
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