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See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 8, 2011. In the wake of the ‘Arab Spring’, a new protest movement, ‘Coordination de la Jeunesse du 25 Février’, emerged at the beginning of the year. The previously contested election of President Abdel Aziz in 2009 was regarded as a fait accompli and, instead of regime change, the protesters mainly focused on tangible social issues and constitutional amendments. The government responded by launching a series of socia…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 7, 2010. The country continued to face a significant threat of attack from a regional militant group, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The low-intensity but still existing terrorist activity in the region seriously impeded economic development, particular in transport and tourism. However, the trade surplus was higher than expected following the recovery in international …

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 13, 2016. The lack of sustainable and inclusive growth was a major challenge. Nearly a quarter of the population suffered from food insecurity, despite a slightly improved economy. Through its role in the fight against crime and illegal immigration, Mauritania remained one of the eu’s privileged diplomatic interlocutors in the field of security and development in the Sahel. Frequent arrests and detentions of human right…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022.Contents Volume 10, 2013. Parliamentary and municipal elections, which had been postponed several times, finally took place in November–December. The polls were boycotted by the opposition, which resulted in an absolute majority for the ruling ‘Union pour la République’ (UPR) and made the Islamist party ‘Tewassoul’ the second largest parliamentary group. Threats by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghr…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 15, 2018. An eight-party opposition alliance, the ‘Front National pour la Démocratie et l’Unité’ (fndu), which had boycotted the 2013 elections, adopted a common strategy and participated in the parliamentary, regional, and municipal elections in September. Although the ruling ‘Union pour la République’ (upr) emerged victorious in elections, the formation of the fndu as a coherent opposition was regarded as a positive step in o…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022.Contents Volume 11, 2014. Ensuring political stability and tackling high rates of poverty and unemployment, as well as unequal growth, were the biggest challenges to President Aziz. The president benefited from the upr’s domination of parliament and the fact that the opposition alliance, the ‘Forum National pour la Démocratie et l’Unité (fndu), was fragmented and hardly represented in parliament. The moderate Islamist party, Tawassoul, esta…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 9, 2012. The increasing tension in the Sahelian region, especially in Mali, constituted the most obvious security risk to Mauritania, along with potential threats from terrorists and extremists within the country. Increased costs for military and security measures and the growing influx of refugees from Mali complicated the financial situation. The impact of the 2011 drought fur…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022.Contents Volume 12, 2015. The failure to establish a dialogue between the government and the opposition dominated the political climate. Elections for one-third of Senate seats were postponed and the major opposition group, the ‘Rassemblement des Forces Démocratiques’ (rfd), ignored the government’s initiative for a national dialogue. Instead, the rdf organised street campaigns trying to exploit public frustration over the government’s in…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 16, 2019. President Mohamed Abdel Aziz completed his mandate and transferred power to an elected successor, the former defence minister Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ahmed Ghazouani. This was the first peaceful transfer of power between elected heads of state since the country gained independence in 1960. At the end of the year a deepening estrangement between Aziz and Ghazouani became ob…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 4, 2007. The return to democratic government, which had involved a constitutional referendum followed by parliamentary and municipal elections in 2006, was concluded this year with senatorial and presidential elections. Criminalisation of slavery and a tripartite agreement on repatriation of Mauritanian refugees from Senegal were important steps in improving the country's reputa…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 5, 2008. The widespread expectation that the country's first freely elected president, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, would bring increased press freedom and a more tolerant political climate at first appeared well founded. Repatriation of Mauritanian refugees from Senegal started as agreed. Risk factors included the growing terrorist threat, drug networks and illegal immigration t…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 6, 2009. Following the presidential elections in July, the country returned to constitutional rule. Although the election results were contested by the majority of the opposition candidates, foreign governments quickly acknowledged the elected president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, as the winner. He could rely on a comfortable majority in the National Assembly, where a new party un…

See also 'Mauritania' in 2004 | 2005 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 3, 2006. The ‘Conseil Militaire pour la Justice et la Démocratie’ (CMJD) led by President Vall, which overthrew President Maaouiya Ould Taya on 3 August 2005 after he had held power for 20 years, was strongly condemned by the international community (including the UN, AU, France and the US) from the beginning, even as most Mauritanians welcomed the coup. By 2006, however, the CMJD had been largely accepted internati…

See also Mauritania 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022. Contents Volume 14, 2017. The political climate remained fragile owing to the fragmented state of the political opposition and the open split in the Senate within the ruling party, the ‘Union pour la République’ (upr) over President Aziz’s proposal to change the Constitution and replace the Senate with new regional councils. The upr nevertheless increased its concentration of power and executive responsibility. The death of the high-profile …