Mauritania: Angel of Democracy; Devil of Terrorism
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The Daily Observer (Banjul)
EDITORIAL
October 6, 2006
Posted to the web October 6, 2006
Democracy in Africa took another step forward in June when two-thirds of the Mauritanian electorate voted in favor of a new constitution.
Observers from the African Union and from the Arab League described the voting as taking place in "a good atmosphere" and with a "strong mobilization of voters." The vote, in this Muslim nation of almost three million people, clearly signaled a new phase in the political life of the country. In 2005, Col. Ely Ould Muhammad Vall ousted President Mauouiaya Old Sid Ahmed Taya, who had held despotic power for over two decades. Leaders in other African nations such as Guinea, Gabon, Burkina Faso and Chad have modified constitutions to elections.
In addition, week border controls, an abundance of weapons of all kinds and ease of movement to other areas of the world make Africa a natural attraction for terrorists.
According to Moroccan security services, Mauritania is part of the so-called "triangle of terrorism," a remote desert region made up of the borders of Morocco, Algeria, Mali and Mauritania. Al-Qaeda has already found a home there with a logistics base to supply weapons to its militants in the region. In 2005, Islamic radicals of the Salafist Group for Combat and Call (GSPC) from Algeria hit a Mauritanian army base in a remote region on the border with Mali and Algeria. The assault left 15 soldiers dead and 17 wounded. Algerian senior GSPC leader, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, said the attack was "a warning" to states in the region as to what is coming. Threatening Mali, Niger and Algeria -- along with the threat to Mauritania -- Belmokhtar said the GSPC goals were to capture war material and "the annihilation in the region of states allied with America and the annihilation of the Jewish and Zionist presence in our countries." The raid netted a recoilless rifle, 58 machine guns two RPGs, seven vehicles and a large quantity of ammunition.
Moroccan, Algerian and Western intelligence services have information that al-Qaeda is active in the region. According to Yahsdoud Ould Amar, Mauritanian Police Commissioner, al-Qaeda is financing mosques and schools construction and pressuring women to wear veils. The services also claim al-Qaeda militants are streaming into the area in batches of hundreds. Ranking al-Qaeda member of Mahfouz Ould Walid, mistakenly thought killed in an air raid in Afghanistan, is in charge of establishing the al-Qaeda foothold in the country, according to intelligence information.
In fact, recruiting and weapons procurement seem to be a big part of al-Qaeda activities in the country. Moroccan police information trance an al-Qaede militant to Mauritania where he met with a GSPC call member to obtain weapons and false documents. Also in al-Qaeda's plans is recruitment of members of the Polisario Front. Regional Security services view the al-Qaeda move on Polisario as a serious threat to the security and stability of the north. It's not as if Mauritania has been a silent observer of terrorist activity in the country as it heads for democracy. Since mid-2005, at least 50 individuals have been arrested because of links to al-Qaeda. This year four GSPC members were picked up for plots to kidnap foreigners. One of the four had links to the March 11th, 2004, train bombing in Madrid.
In April this year, minister of Justice Ould Bettah spoke to a workshop on terrorism. He told participants that the terrorism issue was "one of the major elements of the government action during the transitional period." He listed the protocols and international machanisms to which the government had subscribed to, as well as the anti- terror legislation enacted. Mary Carlson, representing the United Nations, told participants that the Untied Nations urged the creation of an "international mechanism of fight terror and organised crime." Mauritania will present the results of the workshop to the fourth session of Francophone Countries' Justice Ministers taking place in Ouagadougou this year. The Mauritania people have already spoken. They want democracy, not Islamic radicalism. They want freedom, not terrorism. They want peace, stability and the power to choose their leaders. The angel of democracy has show its face to the devil of terrorism and al-Qaeda.
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