MAURITANIA: POLITICAL ROUNDUP FOR THE WEEK OF MAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000344 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2019 TAGS: PGOV KDEM MR PHUM KPAO SUBJECT: MAURITANIA: POLITICAL ROUNDUP FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 17-21 REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 336 ¶B. NOUAKCHOTT 342 ¶C. NOUAKCHOTT 253 Classified By: Ambassador Mark M. Boulware for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Senegalese mediation efforts dominated the political scene for the week of May 17-21. The anti-US media campaign continued, while the FNDD and RFD held a large march to protest General Aziz's election plans. Despite rumors of the imminent release of the "FNDD four" (arrested for corruption charges relating to Air Mauritanie),the four men, including Prime Minister Waghef, were still in prison as of May 21. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Senegalese mediation: The Senegalese mediation effort begun on May 14 with President Wade's whirlwind meetings with the major political actors (including President Abdallahi) continued throughout the week, mainly under the guidance of Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, though the AU, UN, and Libyans were also represented. Despite rumors of imminent failure of the talks (Ref A),and then rumors of an agreement (Ref B),as of May 21 there were no tangible results to be seen from the mediation. The presidential campaign is still on track to commence at midnight on May 21. In his first press conference since resigning from the head of the High State Council, Aziz offered a token "concession" on May 20, saying he would delay his campaign for 24 hours to let the talks progress. However, the other three candidates are beginning their campaigns as originally planned. Aziz further stated that there would be "no delay" in the June 6 elections. ¶3. (C) Anti-US media campaign continues: A tract stating the US gave 720 million ouguiyas (approximately $2.66 million US) to anti-coup parties was distributed on the streets of Nouakchott and other main cities in Mauritania the weekend of May 15-16. The tract, written in Arabic, claimed that prominent FNDD figures (e.g., President Abdallahi, National Assembly President Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, UFP President Mohamed Ould Maouloud, Tawassoul President Jemil Ould Mansour, etc.) had received significant sums of money from NDI. The tract specifically listed the Mauritanian director of NDI by name, including her phone number as well (which she has since changed after receiving threatening phone calls). DCM Dennis Hankins was also specifically named as the intermediary between the FNDD and the "Zionist entity" (Israel) that supposedly was the source of the money. The second page of the tract displayed a star of David, with prominent FNDD leaders placed at each point of the star. Comment: One local media outlet claimed the tract was the work of Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Brahim Khalil and Allal Ould Hajj. Hajj is the younger brother of Mohcen El Hajj, Vice President of the Senate and staunch Aziz supporter (they are cousins). End comment. ¶4. (U) The French support the election: On May 14, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said France "thinks it is important that these elections take place and that they be inclusive. France and the overwhelming majority of the international community believe that holding these elections is crucial for Mauritania." ¶5. (C) Meeting with Spanish DCM: PolOff met with DCM Clara Girbaud of the Spanish embassy on May 17 to discuss Spanish-Mauritanian bilateral cooperation to curtail trafficking in persons. Girbaud was more welcoming than in previous meetings, and expressed dissatisfaction with the regime's handling of the political situation. "They always say they will fix it, but they never do," she said. With respect to illegal immigration, identified as the primary concern for the Spanish in Mauritania, Girbaud said that the Mauritanian authorities continued to cooperate, but lacked the capacity to effectively combat the problem. Consequently the Spanish were assisting them in identifying immigration NOUAKCHOTT 00000344 002 OF 002 networks and leaders. ¶6. (C) Electoral lists online: State-run media on May 17 announced that the electoral lists were now available online at the Ministry of Interior's web site (http://www.interieur.gov.mr). Supposedly, 1,183,455 voters and 27,000 Mauritanians living abroad registered to vote. However, the link to the electoral lists web page does not work. Comment: EmbOffs' discussions with election officials in the south of the country uncovered delays in the posting of election lists (Septel); this may indicate difficulties in finalizing the election lists. End comment. ¶7. (C) FNDD and RFD march: The FNDD and RFD obtained a permit from the authorities and held a joint march on May 18. RSO staff estimated the crowd as numbering at the very least 5,000 people. Anti-coup web sites placed the figure between 15,000 and 55,000 -- figures that seem quite high. In any event, this was likely the largest anti-coup march seen thus far (the anti-coup camp claims that this was the largest march "ever" in Mauritania -- a claim hard to verify). Although there was a large police presence, there were no confrontations, and the march ended without incident. ¶8. (SBU) Air Mauritanie prisoners almost released: On May 18 the Supreme Court finally agreed to hear the appeal of Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef and the other three men detained in the "Air Mauritanie" case. Note: All four men are former directors of the company, and all four participated in anti-coup activities before they were arrested (Ref C). End note. The bail amounts for all four were drastically reduced, and there were rumors of their imminent release. However, they still remain in prison as of May 21. Comment: Local press has speculated that their release was delayed by the junta to prevent them from participating in the FNDD/RFD march planned the same day. End comment. BOULWARE