Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NOUAKCHOTT172
2009-03-03 13:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Nouakchott
Cable title:
IN ARAFAT, POVERTY AND HOPELESSNESS BREED
how-toVZCZCXRO8019 PP RUEHPA RUEHTRO DE RUEHNK #0172/01 0621354 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 031354Z MAR 09 FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8176 INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0213 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0504 RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0426 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0488 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 2031 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0835 RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RUEHDS/USMISSION USAU ADDIS ABABA RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0545 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0942
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000172
SIPDIS
ACCRA FOR USAID/W
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019
TAGS: PREL PINS PTER KDEM EAID MR
SUBJECT: IN ARAFAT, POVERTY AND HOPELESSNESS BREED
RADICALISM
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000172
SIPDIS
ACCRA FOR USAID/W
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019
TAGS: PREL PINS PTER KDEM EAID MR
SUBJECT: IN ARAFAT, POVERTY AND HOPELESSNESS BREED
RADICALISM
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (SBU) Summary: Arafat is the largest and poorest
district in the capital Nouakchott. Rapid urbanization, a
large disenfranchised youth population, grinding poverty, and
imported Islamist extremist ideas are a potentially volatile
combination. EmbOffs met with a variety of people living and
working in Arafat, including an imam, an NGO worker, the
mayor, and a group of young people in order to gain a fuller
picture of how radicalism takes root in this bustling area of
town. End summary.
--------------
160,000 OF NOUAKCHOTT'S POOREST
--------------
2. (SBU) Arafat, the most populous commune in Nouakchott, is
home to 160,000 of the city's poorest people. This southern
suburb, surrounded by five other communes (El Mina, Riyadh,
Toujounine, Dar Naim and Ksar) has, for the past two decades,
received a steady flow of rural migrants displaced from their
communities by drought and poverty. In a meeting with PolOff
and PolAsst, World Vision National Director Esther
Lehmann-Sow stressed the staggering urbanization rate -- in
1996, Arafat had less than 10,000 inhabitants. Settlers keep
arriving, not only from the interior but also from other
communes in Nouakchott, placing considerable pressure on
Arafat's already limited resources.
--------------
SCRAMBLING FOR 1,000 OUGIYA PER DAY
--------------
3. (SBU) Arafat residents lack access to the most basic
services. Many communities do not have roads, water or
electricity, and have limited access to schools and clinics.
Both World Vision's Lehman-Sow and Arafat's mayor El Hacen
Ould Mohamed agree that roads and water are the most needed
services as they open the way to economic development.
4. (SBU) According to Lehman-Sow, a family of four in
Nouakchott needs at least 1,000 Ougiya ($3.80) to eat once a
day and procure their water intake. Many in Arafat,
particularly single mothers, struggle to make that much.
Lehman-Sow stressed that unlike in the countryside, nothing
is free in the city. Families have to pay for everything,
including access to water, which can fluctuate sharply from
one day to the next.
5. (C) Mayor Ould Mohamed reported that following the August
6 coup, many development aid projects, such as a World Bank
water project, have been suspended. He stated that France is
still conducting six development projects but lamented that
the commune is already feeling the consequences of the
"embargo" against Mauritania.
--------------
A FERTILE GROUND FOR EXTREMISM
--------------
6. (C) In a meeting with PolOff and PolAsst, Imam Abdallahi
Ould Cheikh Sid Mohamed stated that Islamic extremism was
present in Arafat (though he emphasized several times that
his own branch of Sufi Islam was "peaceful and tolerant").
Susceptible youth - i.e., those who were "poor, ignorant, and
illiterate" - could be influenced by Mauritanians who had
access to "foreign financing" and preached radical ideas.
Imam Mohamed stressed these groups are very well organized.
He described a process whereby small shops offered food at
subsidized prices, along with a dose of preaching. After 30
days of "training," youth deemed worthy of further
indoctrination could be sent to Pakistan or India for
additional exposure to radical ideologies. These "students"
then returned to Mauritania to preach extreme ideas in the
NOUAKCHOTT 00000172 002 OF 003
same poor neighborhoods, thus creating a cycle of extremism.
Stating that "the pressure of money" and lure of cheaper
goods was very strong in a poor neighborhood such as Arafat,
Imam Mohamed said this cycle was hard to break. Moreover,
the extremists did not just pose a danger to foreigners -
Imam Mohamed stressed that moderate Imams like himself were
possible targets as well, as they did not show a sufficient
level of "zeal" that satisfied the extremists. He stated
that his sister-in-law, who had joined a radical group, was
trying to "convert" members of his own family. Wanting to
avoid confrontation, he sent his family back to the village.
7. (C) Mayor Ould Mohamed also acknowledged that extremism
was present in Arafat, though he said the "peaceful character
of the Mauritanian people" acted as a bulwark against
radicalization. Nevertheless, he stated the "international
situation" led to frustration, which could help explain, but
not justify, intolerance. Comment: The "international
situation" he referred to presumably meant U.S. involvement
in Iraq and Afghanistan, and recent Israeli actions in the
Gaza Strip. End comment.
8. (C) Sidi Mohamed Cheiguer, development consultant and
director of Consulting Ingenierie Developpement, told PolOff
that many moderate imams and charities felt threatened by the
activities of radical groups. These groups had approached
him about participating in rule of law initiatives as they
were concerned about the social and political situation in
Mauritania. When PolOff asked him for the names of those
charities, Cheiguer said he did not feel comfortable sharing
that information and invited PolOff to investigate. He
stated it would be wise for the U.S. to work with those
groups. He said there are currently over 1,000 mosques in
Nouakchott but that the funding for most of the mosques is
unknown. He stated radical foreign groups may have financed
many of these mosques.
9. (C) World Vision director Lehmann-Sow theorized that
there were several factors that led to fundamentalism and
extremism in the poorer quarters of town. She said that due
to a "rural mindset" of those who migrated to the city, they
often clung to what they knew and was familiar. This
manifested itself in a mistrust of foreigners and a rejection
of foreign (particularly Western) elements. Finally,
economic pressure led some to fundamentalism, because Islamic
charities provided services to families that the government
could not. For example, she cited a charity that provided
scholarships to children. While paying for their fees (and
thus earning the family's support),the children also
received a dose of extreme ideas.
--------------
YOUTH: A TIME BOMB
--------------
10. (C) All four people Emboffs met with were extremely
concerned about young people in Arafat. According to Mr.
Cheiguer, Mauritanian youth have suffered from the
dissolution of traditional support networks. Young people
are traditionally educated by the village and, particularly,
by their mothers. In an urban setting, mothers are likely to
work and the village structure is lacking. According to Mr.
Cheiguer, young people are "left to their own devices."
Limited access to schools and the lack of structured
activities for young people pose a problem. Mr. Cheigher
explained that without sports, community and cultural
centers, young people were turning to criminal networks and
radical groups for a sense of identity and support.
11. (C) World Vision director Lehmann-Sow stated she feared
a social explosion as young people became increasingly
resentful of income and opportunity inequalities in
Nouakchott.
12. (C) PolOff and PolAsst talked to a group of seven young
NOUAKCHOTT 00000172 003 OF 003
men and women who are part of Imam Mohamed's mosque. They
all expressed a desire for increased economic development
opportunities. The women told PolOff and PolAsst they would
like the means to start a cooperative, while one young man,
who was a barber, also said a micro-finance type of
initiative to enable people to develop their own businesses
would be very helpful.
--------------
USG ENGAGEMENT
--------------
13. (C) Imam Mohamed had very clear ideas on how the USG
should provide development aid to Mauritania. Stating that
funds provided to the government were often diverted or not
used in a transparent manner, he argued that direct funding
at the community level was the best way to produce change.
"We are the ones who deal with the extremists on a daily
basis, we are directly threatened by them, and we can make
the most impact." He asserted that fighting extremism and
terrorism through purely military means would not work; those
who struggle peacefully for a more tolerant Islam must also
be supported. Moreover, people who have not had direct
contact with Americans often harbor fear and misconceptions
about them; working at the community level would dispel some
of these negative stereotypes he said. He added that a U.S.
funded water project in his native village had changed the
villagers' views about the U.S. and made them inclined to
cooperate with U.S. objectives as long as they respected
islam.
14. (C) While Imam Mohamed was receptive to possible USG
assistance, the Deputy Mayor of Arafat was another story.
Stating numerous times that it was necessary to respect
Mauritania's sovereignty (and stating outright that he was
afraid the US would send its military into Mauritania to
intervene in the political crisis),he asked "Would you bring
assistance to us like that which you brought to Iraq and
Afghanistan? We don't need that kind of aid." He stressed
the need for assistance "without conditions" and that the US
should not be an "obstacle" to development. Comment: During
the Deputy Mayor's more flagrant outbursts, other town
council members in the room expressed open exasperation with
him, indicating that his views were not shared universally in
the room. End comment.
15. (C) Comment: Reports of increasing radicalization in
Nouakchott's slums are well founded and deserve to be further
investigated. The socio-economic conditions in Arafat and
other poor communes provide a fertile ground for radicalism
as disenfranchized individuals are easily recruited by
well-organized groups with considerable financial means. As
the U.S. re-defines its policy towards Mauritania, it is
prudent to focus on community level engagement. Development
projects focused on roads, water and sanitation, and youth
programming can go a long way. Taking in consideration the
importance of religion in this society, supporting moderate
imams and charities in their fight against radicalization
will have a multiplying effect in our own fight against
extremism. End comment.
HANKINS
SIPDIS
ACCRA FOR USAID/W
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019
TAGS: PREL PINS PTER KDEM EAID MR
SUBJECT: IN ARAFAT, POVERTY AND HOPELESSNESS BREED
RADICALISM
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (SBU) Summary: Arafat is the largest and poorest
district in the capital Nouakchott. Rapid urbanization, a
large disenfranchised youth population, grinding poverty, and
imported Islamist extremist ideas are a potentially volatile
combination. EmbOffs met with a variety of people living and
working in Arafat, including an imam, an NGO worker, the
mayor, and a group of young people in order to gain a fuller
picture of how radicalism takes root in this bustling area of
town. End summary.
--------------
160,000 OF NOUAKCHOTT'S POOREST
--------------
2. (SBU) Arafat, the most populous commune in Nouakchott, is
home to 160,000 of the city's poorest people. This southern
suburb, surrounded by five other communes (El Mina, Riyadh,
Toujounine, Dar Naim and Ksar) has, for the past two decades,
received a steady flow of rural migrants displaced from their
communities by drought and poverty. In a meeting with PolOff
and PolAsst, World Vision National Director Esther
Lehmann-Sow stressed the staggering urbanization rate -- in
1996, Arafat had less than 10,000 inhabitants. Settlers keep
arriving, not only from the interior but also from other
communes in Nouakchott, placing considerable pressure on
Arafat's already limited resources.
--------------
SCRAMBLING FOR 1,000 OUGIYA PER DAY
--------------
3. (SBU) Arafat residents lack access to the most basic
services. Many communities do not have roads, water or
electricity, and have limited access to schools and clinics.
Both World Vision's Lehman-Sow and Arafat's mayor El Hacen
Ould Mohamed agree that roads and water are the most needed
services as they open the way to economic development.
4. (SBU) According to Lehman-Sow, a family of four in
Nouakchott needs at least 1,000 Ougiya ($3.80) to eat once a
day and procure their water intake. Many in Arafat,
particularly single mothers, struggle to make that much.
Lehman-Sow stressed that unlike in the countryside, nothing
is free in the city. Families have to pay for everything,
including access to water, which can fluctuate sharply from
one day to the next.
5. (C) Mayor Ould Mohamed reported that following the August
6 coup, many development aid projects, such as a World Bank
water project, have been suspended. He stated that France is
still conducting six development projects but lamented that
the commune is already feeling the consequences of the
"embargo" against Mauritania.
--------------
A FERTILE GROUND FOR EXTREMISM
--------------
6. (C) In a meeting with PolOff and PolAsst, Imam Abdallahi
Ould Cheikh Sid Mohamed stated that Islamic extremism was
present in Arafat (though he emphasized several times that
his own branch of Sufi Islam was "peaceful and tolerant").
Susceptible youth - i.e., those who were "poor, ignorant, and
illiterate" - could be influenced by Mauritanians who had
access to "foreign financing" and preached radical ideas.
Imam Mohamed stressed these groups are very well organized.
He described a process whereby small shops offered food at
subsidized prices, along with a dose of preaching. After 30
days of "training," youth deemed worthy of further
indoctrination could be sent to Pakistan or India for
additional exposure to radical ideologies. These "students"
then returned to Mauritania to preach extreme ideas in the
NOUAKCHOTT 00000172 002 OF 003
same poor neighborhoods, thus creating a cycle of extremism.
Stating that "the pressure of money" and lure of cheaper
goods was very strong in a poor neighborhood such as Arafat,
Imam Mohamed said this cycle was hard to break. Moreover,
the extremists did not just pose a danger to foreigners -
Imam Mohamed stressed that moderate Imams like himself were
possible targets as well, as they did not show a sufficient
level of "zeal" that satisfied the extremists. He stated
that his sister-in-law, who had joined a radical group, was
trying to "convert" members of his own family. Wanting to
avoid confrontation, he sent his family back to the village.
7. (C) Mayor Ould Mohamed also acknowledged that extremism
was present in Arafat, though he said the "peaceful character
of the Mauritanian people" acted as a bulwark against
radicalization. Nevertheless, he stated the "international
situation" led to frustration, which could help explain, but
not justify, intolerance. Comment: The "international
situation" he referred to presumably meant U.S. involvement
in Iraq and Afghanistan, and recent Israeli actions in the
Gaza Strip. End comment.
8. (C) Sidi Mohamed Cheiguer, development consultant and
director of Consulting Ingenierie Developpement, told PolOff
that many moderate imams and charities felt threatened by the
activities of radical groups. These groups had approached
him about participating in rule of law initiatives as they
were concerned about the social and political situation in
Mauritania. When PolOff asked him for the names of those
charities, Cheiguer said he did not feel comfortable sharing
that information and invited PolOff to investigate. He
stated it would be wise for the U.S. to work with those
groups. He said there are currently over 1,000 mosques in
Nouakchott but that the funding for most of the mosques is
unknown. He stated radical foreign groups may have financed
many of these mosques.
9. (C) World Vision director Lehmann-Sow theorized that
there were several factors that led to fundamentalism and
extremism in the poorer quarters of town. She said that due
to a "rural mindset" of those who migrated to the city, they
often clung to what they knew and was familiar. This
manifested itself in a mistrust of foreigners and a rejection
of foreign (particularly Western) elements. Finally,
economic pressure led some to fundamentalism, because Islamic
charities provided services to families that the government
could not. For example, she cited a charity that provided
scholarships to children. While paying for their fees (and
thus earning the family's support),the children also
received a dose of extreme ideas.
--------------
YOUTH: A TIME BOMB
--------------
10. (C) All four people Emboffs met with were extremely
concerned about young people in Arafat. According to Mr.
Cheiguer, Mauritanian youth have suffered from the
dissolution of traditional support networks. Young people
are traditionally educated by the village and, particularly,
by their mothers. In an urban setting, mothers are likely to
work and the village structure is lacking. According to Mr.
Cheiguer, young people are "left to their own devices."
Limited access to schools and the lack of structured
activities for young people pose a problem. Mr. Cheigher
explained that without sports, community and cultural
centers, young people were turning to criminal networks and
radical groups for a sense of identity and support.
11. (C) World Vision director Lehmann-Sow stated she feared
a social explosion as young people became increasingly
resentful of income and opportunity inequalities in
Nouakchott.
12. (C) PolOff and PolAsst talked to a group of seven young
NOUAKCHOTT 00000172 003 OF 003
men and women who are part of Imam Mohamed's mosque. They
all expressed a desire for increased economic development
opportunities. The women told PolOff and PolAsst they would
like the means to start a cooperative, while one young man,
who was a barber, also said a micro-finance type of
initiative to enable people to develop their own businesses
would be very helpful.
--------------
USG ENGAGEMENT
--------------
13. (C) Imam Mohamed had very clear ideas on how the USG
should provide development aid to Mauritania. Stating that
funds provided to the government were often diverted or not
used in a transparent manner, he argued that direct funding
at the community level was the best way to produce change.
"We are the ones who deal with the extremists on a daily
basis, we are directly threatened by them, and we can make
the most impact." He asserted that fighting extremism and
terrorism through purely military means would not work; those
who struggle peacefully for a more tolerant Islam must also
be supported. Moreover, people who have not had direct
contact with Americans often harbor fear and misconceptions
about them; working at the community level would dispel some
of these negative stereotypes he said. He added that a U.S.
funded water project in his native village had changed the
villagers' views about the U.S. and made them inclined to
cooperate with U.S. objectives as long as they respected
islam.
14. (C) While Imam Mohamed was receptive to possible USG
assistance, the Deputy Mayor of Arafat was another story.
Stating numerous times that it was necessary to respect
Mauritania's sovereignty (and stating outright that he was
afraid the US would send its military into Mauritania to
intervene in the political crisis),he asked "Would you bring
assistance to us like that which you brought to Iraq and
Afghanistan? We don't need that kind of aid." He stressed
the need for assistance "without conditions" and that the US
should not be an "obstacle" to development. Comment: During
the Deputy Mayor's more flagrant outbursts, other town
council members in the room expressed open exasperation with
him, indicating that his views were not shared universally in
the room. End comment.
15. (C) Comment: Reports of increasing radicalization in
Nouakchott's slums are well founded and deserve to be further
investigated. The socio-economic conditions in Arafat and
other poor communes provide a fertile ground for radicalism
as disenfranchized individuals are easily recruited by
well-organized groups with considerable financial means. As
the U.S. re-defines its policy towards Mauritania, it is
prudent to focus on community level engagement. Development
projects focused on roads, water and sanitation, and youth
programming can go a long way. Taking in consideration the
importance of religion in this society, supporting moderate
imams and charities in their fight against radicalization
will have a multiplying effect in our own fight against
extremism. End comment.
HANKINS