From Mauritania in the far west to Sudan in the east, the Sahel and Saharan belts of Africa are seething with tensions, writes Gamal Nkrumah Reinventing Mauritania Elections in Mauritania pave the way for a return to democracy in the North African country, with ex-slaves and women the clear winners Mauritania's municipal and parliamentary elections this week have undeniably changed the course of the country's history. It may not have been the electoral earthquake some pollsters had been predicting, but it was still rather impressive. For the first time in the recorded history of the country the descendants of slaves have made astounding inroads into the politics and the decision-making process of the country. The Progressive Popular Alliance, better known by its French acronym APP, a party that represents the interests of former slaves and the descendants of slaves in Mauritania, made significant gains at parliamentary and municipal levels. Slavery was only officially abolished in Mauritania in 1982. Overnight, the political stature of former slaves has been augmented, with APP emerging as a dominant player in Mauritanian politics. The descendants of former slaves this week proved that they can produce a revolutionary legacy in one of the African continent's most conservative, racially conscious countries. The pariahs of the past now have a say in the running of their country. They have proudly earned the sobriquet of groundbreaking lawmakers. At last, Mauritania has moved on. Women, too, of all shades have also made significant political gains. They were especially well represented at the municipal level. Successful women contestants for municipal seats played a key part in parties with such conflicting political agendas as the APP, the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) led by charismatic leader Ahmed Ould Daddah and the former ruling Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR). The polls were the oil and mineral-rich Arab-African country's first tentative step towards a return to a truly democratic and civilian rule. A wide range of political parties are participating in the municipal and parliamentary elections. More than a million Mauritanians are taking part in the vote. No less than 28 secular political parties participated in the polls, all with the aim of being represented in the 95-member Mauritanian assembly. The country's highly influential Islamists were not officially permitted to take part in the polls, but that did not deter them with many Islamists standing as independents. Mauritania sells itself as a key ally of the United States in its "war on terror". The country has been governed by a 17- man strong military junta, the Military Council for Justice and Democracy, since August 2005 when Mouaouiya Sidi Ahmed Ould Taya was toppled in a bloodless coup d'état. Taya, now settled in Morocco, ironically the only country that has withdrawn its membership from the AU, played no prominent part in this week's elections. Without him at its helm, his PRDR did relatively well. The count will doubtless be contested by the some of Taya's supporters. The ousting of Taya was nothing short of a palace coup. The main instigator and ring leader was Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Taya's own trusted security chief who has since ruled the country as a benevolent military ruler. But that is nothing new as far as Mauritania is concerned. Taya himself usurped power by force in a 1984 putch. Unlike Taya, Vall has stubbornly shown that he does not appreciate being told what to do by outsiders. After a long, checkered history of military autocratic one-party rule, and sham democracy where the incumbent president was always assured of a sweeping victory, Mauritania is poised for a new political dispensation. During his tenure Taya meandered far off track. He had established diplomatic relations with Israel, an unpopular policy that incurred the wrath of his people. Taya's Mauritania also cultivated close economic and diplomatic ties with Israel. The years since have been marked by contretemps, with a groundswell of resentment among Mauritania's devout Muslim population against Taya's flirtation with the Americans and the Israelis. Hardcore Arab nationalists and Islamic militants have been bent on instigating a war against Taya and the Mauritanian state since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Mauritania in 1999, one of only three Arab countries to do so. That outrage stood out as a direct affront to Arab and Moorish sensibilities, even in a region that had become grimly accustomed to outrages committed by the ruling cliques. It is these anomalies that ostensibly led the coup plotters in Mauritania to oust Taya. The perennial problem of Mauritania, however, is the underlying tension between the Arabised elites and the non- Arab black citizens who want a greater say in the running of the country. The lighter-skinned Arabic-speaking Moors, after whom the country's name is derived, have monopolised power in Mauritania, and are not prepared or willing to relinquish power. Moors of Arab and Berber stock, the fair-skinned lords of this desert land, have controlled the country since independence from France in 1960. Arabic is the official language of Mauritania and the country is a member of the Cairo-based 22-member-state Arab League. The black-skinned non-Arabs, on the other hand, are relegated to the status of second-class citizens. The Arabised elite question their patriotism repeatedly, claiming that they owe allegiance to Senegal, Mauritania's southern neighbour -- the two countries fought a bitter border war in 1992. What sometimes puzzles outsiders, however, is the proliferation of internal squabbles among the country's ruling Arab-Berber elites. This was clearly demonstrated in this week's Mauritanian vote where they failed to show a united front. This also explains the rise to power of the black majority who make up two-thirds of the population; one-third being Arab speaking former slaves, and the other, indigenous Africans. Mauritania's newfound oil wealth might be a complicating factor in the country's politics. Indeed, United States President George W Bush's fixation with new African oil producers has become almost as rampant as his obsession with terrorism. Mauritania, one of Africa's major iron ore producers, became an oil exporter this year -- currently producing some 75,000 barrels a day. Still, the dirt-poor desert country, with a literacy rate of only 56 per cent, has fared well. There are several positive elements about this election -- primarily that women and blacks fared well. The ruling military junta is officially neutral and has said it will not interfere in the election process. It has already announced it would dissolve itself in March 2007. But if Mauritania can navigate the next few months, the Islamists, too, must be pacified and accommodated. The old Moorish political male-dominated establishment might be down, but it is not out. There is every reason to believe that the count was honest, free and fair. Blacks, and women are destined to play a more dynamic role in Mauritanian politics. The women and black non-Arabs of Mauritania must now ensure that their newfound political clout advances their interests further. The old reactionary forces must not be allowed to jeopardise those hard-won political gains.
