ON THE EVE OF AN AGREEMENT, NOUADHIBOU "MOROSE AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000370

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM MR
SUBJECT: ON THE EVE OF AN AGREEMENT, NOUADHIBOU "MOROSE AND
TENSE"

REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 369

B. NOUAKCHOTT 366

C. NOUAKCHOTT 361

Classified By: Ambassador Mark M. Boulware for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: A day before a tentative agreement to the
ongoing political crisis was reached in Dakar (Ref A),
EmbOffs traveled to the economic capital of Nouadhibou to
assess the mood and political situation ahead of elections.
In meetings with both anti-coup and pro-coup political
actors, the tension was evident. Divisions remained as sharp
as ever, and EmbOffs were even assigned a "minder" in a sign
of the regime's continuing unease regarding coup opponents.
End summary.


2. (C) PolOff and PolAsst met with several political actors
during a two-day trip to Nouadhibou, Mauritania's economic
capital, on May 31 to June 1. Note: On the road to
Nouadhibou, Embassy vehicles passed three new vans plastered
with Aziz's image and slogans such as "Generation Aziz."
Carrying Moroccan license plates with the Casablanca city
code, these vans appeared to be well-equipped traveling
medical clinics, and a component of Aziz's ongoing campaign
to gain popular support through giveaways and free medical
care (Ref B). End note.

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Meeting with Tawassoul
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3. (C) PolOff and PolAsst met on May 31 with Mohamed Mahmoud
Ould Ely, official in charge of the Tawassoul party's office
in Nouadhibou. (Note: Tawassoul, a moderate Islamic
political party, is a member of the FNDD and fierce opponents
of the coup and military. Tawassoul currently holds the
rotating presidency of the FNDD. Ely stated that Tawassoul
had approximately 2,500 members in Nouadhibou, according to
his member card lists. End note.)


4. (C) Describing the present period as "difficult," Ely
remarked that the tone in Nouadhibou has hardened between
sides since the start of the presidential campaign.
Nevertheless, the campaign in Nouadhibou was practically a
non-event. During previous campaigns, a festive atmosphere
reigned during the evenings and nights, whereas now there was
"nothing," he maintained. In reaction to the start of the
campaign, there had been more marches, sit-ins, and police
repression, Ely said. Asked if Aziz would be met by a large
reception upon his arrival in Nouadhibou the next day, Ely
laughed and said "I don't think so." (Comment: Indeed, as
EmbOffs were leaving Nouadhibou the next day just ahead of
Aziz's arrival, which had been delayed, there were only
around 200 "supporters" at the airport to greet him. Most of
these were apparently bussed in for the occasion, as there
was row upon row of vans a short distance from the airport.
End comment.) Regarding the ongoing Senegalese mediation,
Ely expressed hope that there would be an accord, and thought
"some sort of accord" would come out of the negotiations, but
not one that would necessarily solve the crisis.

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Meeting with RFD
--------------


5. (C) PolOff and PolAsst met with approximately ten RFD
officials at their packed Nouadhibou office on May 31.
(Note: The number of people in the room fluctuated
constantly as a result of the near continuous comings and
goings of people stepping outside to answer their cell
phones. End note.) The meeting bordered on chaotic at
times, with people jumping in to offer their opinions on
various subjects.


6. (C) Camara Moussa, representative of the RFD in

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Nouadhibou began the meeting by saying they were "under the
boot of the military," and characterized the prevailing mood
as "morose and tense." He went on to describe the joint
FNDD/RFD sit-in at the UFP office a few days before (Ref C,
para 7). The sit-in had involved loud-speakers and banners
calling for the return of constitutional order; police tried
to enter the building, but the protesters prevented them. He
said several in the room had been injured during the sit-in,
and several attendees pointed to where they had been struck
by batons; one person had a bandage around his entire left
forearm.


7. (C) Turning to the larger political scene, Moussa said
they wanted a consensual solution, but Aziz must not be
allowed to stand as a candidate. He noted the one-sided
nature of the campaign thus far, with all the tents and
publicity around town for Aziz, who he labeled "arrogant."
"Our country doesn't need an uncultured president," he
declared, taking another shot at Aziz. Regarding the ongoing
Senegalese mediation efforts, representative of the RFD in
Nouadhibou Moctar Ould Cheikh jumped in and said it was in
the interests of all Mauritanians to find a solution, and
that everyone had "great hopes" pinned on the mediation.
Unfortunately, he said, Aziz has "not yet realized that this
situation is not 2007 all over again."


8. (C) Hamada Ould Bakar, RFD member and counselor to the
Mayor, frequently interjected during the meeting with strong
statements. He slammed Qadhafi and Aziz for their
"megalomania" and labeled Qadhafi a "connard" in French
(which can be translated into English as "bastard," among
other terms). When PolOff stated that the U.S. had
maintained a clear, firm position since the August 2008 coup,
Bakar diverged into a tangent regarding U.S. actions in Iraq.
Comment: Bakar and some other RFD members present at the
meeting frequently interrupted others to toss in extreme,
even outlandish comments, such as "we will spill our blood
for Mauritania!" End comment.

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Meeting with UFP
--------------


9. (C) PolOff and PolAsst met with UFP members N'Dongo
Idrissa, counselor to the mayor, and Mohamed Ould El Mane,
representative of the UFP on June 1. Idrissa described the
current climate as "harsh" for the opposition. "We don't
have the right to express ourselves," he declared. Although
things were the worst under former President Taya, he said
that the system now was not democratic either. Regarding the
May 25 sit-in at the UFP office in Nouadhibou, Idrissa's
account largely matched those provided by Tawassoul and RFD
(see above). The additional details he provided were that
six people were injured and the police used tear gas to
disperse the demonstrators.


10. (C) Approximately 15 minutes into the meeting, a man
appeared at the hotel and sat down on a couch next to
EmbOffs, Idrissa, and El Mane without saying a word. When
asked for his identity, he said he was Brigadier Abderrahmane
Ould Habib of the police, and was there to "ensure the
security of the Americans." (Comment: Habib later stated to
PolOff that his specialty was illegal immigration. End
comment.) El Mane disputed Habib's assertion, claiming that,
as members of the opposition, they were constantly followed,
and their telephones were monitored; therefore, the
appearance of this "minder" was not too surprising. (Note:
Habib also "provided security" for PAO on a recent trip to
Nouadhibou. End note.) El Mane thanked the U.S. for its
strong support, and speaking loudly so Habib could hear,
declared "we have a bitter history with the military in this
country" and "we only ask to be able to express our rights."
He went on to label President Abdallahi the "current and
legitimate president" who had to fulfill his original mandate
of five years. Comment: El Mane appeared at times to be

NOUAKCHOTT 00000370 003 OF 003


goading the "minder," at one point flat out calling him a
"spy." Habib then retorted, "Without security, you wouldn't
be able to say what you want. Liberty is respected, and Aziz
is the biggest democrat of them all!" There were several
similar such exchanges during the meeting -- a rare chance
for the two sides to directly confront each other around a
table, instead of during a demonstration or sit-in. End
comment.

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Meeting with Mayor
--------------


11. (C) PolOff and PolAsst met with the Mayor of Nouadhibou,
Mohamed Fadel Ould Aboubakrine, at his office. (Note:
Aboubakrine, a native of Nouadhibou, is a staunch Aziz
supporter and from the same tribe. Brigadier Habib sat in on
this meeting as well, continuing to provide his "security,"
but remained silent the entire time. End note.) Saying that
there were "no taboos," Aboubakrine encouraged EmbOffs to ask
any question. He mentioned the need for decentralization in
his town, and cited poverty and immigration as major issues
that he faced.


12. (C) Turning to politics, Aboubakrine spoke in the
language of Aziz supporters, saying change had been
"imperative" and that the situation prior to Aziz taking
power was "dangerous" and "explosive." Hinting, like many
other coup supporters, that the U.S. didn't understand the
"realities" of Mauritania's situation, he described this
"great man" as the savior of the country. (Note:
Aboubakrine rarely, if ever, mentioned Aziz by name, saying
instead "this man." End note.) He stated several times the
"great hope" that the "change" (i.e., coup) had aroused in
Mauritanians. At about the moment he minimized the
opposition as "two or three extremist groups," El Mane of the
UFP, who is also a counselor to the mayor, entered the room
to sit in on the meeting. Aboubakrine went on to say the
Senegalese mediation was problematic, because opposition
members were not honest negotiators; as soon as you gave them
one concession, they asked for more, he maintained.
Nevertheless, he portrayed Nouadhibou's town council as an
inclusive "mosaic" that included nine political blocs. When
PolOff inquired why certain political groups were repressed,
Aboubakrine asserted that there comes a time when "civil
order has to be preserved at any cost." Furthermore, one
group could not "infringe" on other groups in expressing its
ideas, implying that that was exactly what the opposition had
done.

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Comment
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13. (C) The political divisions encountered in Nouakchott
were just as evident in Nouadhibou. Clearly the recent
demonstrations and subsequent police repression had generated
anxiety among the political class. The muted enthusiasm for
General Aziz's impending campaign stop only added to the
sense of malaise. One can only hope that the agreement
reached in Dakar (Ref A) will be formally signed in
Nouakchott, and serve to dispel the instability, fear, and
turmoil that has reigned in the country for the past ten
months.
BOULWARE