SOMEBODY'S PROPERTY: SLAVE VICTIMS TALK ABOUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000718

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM MR KDEM TIP
SUBJECT: SOMEBODY'S PROPERTY: SLAVE VICTIMS TALK ABOUT
THEIR PLIGHT

REF: NOUAKCHOTT 711

Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARK M. BOULWARE FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) On November 5, PolOff had the rare opportunity to
meet with nine "runaway slaves" from the Eastern city of
Bassikounou in the Hodh Echargui region. These slavery
victims traveled to Nouakchott at SOS Esclaves' invitation to
tell their stories to UN Special Rapporteur for Contemporary
Forms of Slavery Gulnara Shahinian and to request she ask for
government assistance in helping them reunite with their
families left behind in slavery.


2. (C) The group, which included four women, three men, and
a toddler, shares many commonalties. Most of them do not
know their age and do not have identity papers. Many were
separated from their parents and siblings at a very young age
and were, in turn, separated from their own children. All
decided to run away after years of mistreatment, leaving
their families behind in slavery. All wish they could
reunite with their families. They are illiterate and poor.
Although slavery is illegal in Mauritania, they are
considered, by traditional standards, runaway slaves. This
means that they have not been affranchised and remain, as
well as their present and future children, the property of
their masters.


3. (C) Some of their stories are as follows:

- El Khair Ould M'Bareck, approximately 18 years old,
property of Bobbe Ould Nana of the Ouled Sidi faction of the
Laghlal tribe, was in charge of fetching water and looking
for lost cattle. He stated he ran away because he was
hungry. He was able to reunite with his sister,
approximately 17, and her baby boy. Nevertheless, seven
members of his family, including his mother, were left
behind. El Khair, a traditional slave name which means
"good," wants to liberate his family and would like his
master to provide compensation.

- Khoueidama Mint Barka, approximately 50 years old, property
of Tawal Ayamou Ould Bonane and his brother Boy Ould Bonane
of the Bourada faction of the Ouled Daoud tribe. Khoueidama
ran away after years of hard work, mistreatment and
humiliation. She immediately sought to look for her
children, who had been separated from her at childhood. She
was able to liberate one of her daughters with the help of
SOS Esclaves. She left two other daughters behind, their
children (she has heard her daughters have children but does
not know how many because she has not seen her daughters in
decades),her sister and her niece. Khoueidama told PolOff
her master had sent her a message asking her to return to
pick up a document saying she was affranchised but she
refused because she was afraid he would capture her. To
illustrate the cruelty of her master, Koheidama said that her
husband, who she left behind when she escaped, was recently
forced to marry one of Koheidama's daughters from a previous
marriage. "I want to go back and take all my family members
but I am afraid," she stated. "It would help if the
authorities could go with me to tell my master he cannot keep
them." Khoueidama would like to bring her master to court.
When asked whether her family members were aware of their
rights, she responded "some of them do not know they are free
to go."

- M'Bareck Ould Blal, approximately 50 years old, property of
Louley Ould Kwatt of the Ouled Daoud tribe. M'Bareck was a
camel herder and worked long days and nights caring for his
master's camels. When he misbehaved, M'Bareck's master would
order for him to be beaten and then tied by the neck to one
of the camels used to run errands. M'Bareck, attached to the
camel by the neck, was then forced to follow the camel on
foot the whole day. He said he ran away because he grew
tired of being mistreated. He left behind in slavery his
mother, two sisters, an aunt, a cousin and his three
children.

- Meryem Mint Homody, approximately 14 years old, property of
Sidi Mohamed Ould Sidi Brahim of the Bourada faction of the

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Ouled Daoud tribe, does not remember her mother, from whom
she was separated at two when she was sent away to the
household of one of her masters' newly married daughters.
Meryem worked as a house servant and took care of the young
cattle. When asked why she ran away, she explained her
mistress worked her to the bone and did not let her play.
They had an argument and Meryem was beaten and ran away.
Meryem stated her mistress sent a group of armed men to look
for her but the people who took her in refused to let them
take her back. She eventually found her father and went to
live with him but they have not been able to contact her
mother and sisters. Meryem was overcome with emotion when
she told PolOff that the one thing she wants the most in life
is to meet her mother and sisters.

- Mahmoud Ould M'Bareck, approximately 23 years old, property
of Mohamed Sidat of the Ouled Daoud tribe, was liberated by
the gendarmerie at the request of one of his cousins who told
the gendarmes that M'Bareck's master used to beat him
regularly. He said his master owned three other slave
families.


4. (C) SOS Esclaves volunteer El Maaloum Ould Mahmoud, who
lives in the Bassikounou area stated that, when confronted
with a runaway slave, local authorities (walis, hakems,
gendarmerie) refuse to conduct an investigation and apply the
2007 law criminalizing slavery. Slave-masters have never
been prosecuted. "If they prosecuted somebody, the other
slave-masters would become afraid and let their slaves go,"
he stated. The victims, he intimated, are not perceived by
the authorities as victims but as troublemakers. The
government does not provide any assistance; there are no
social reinsertion programs to help victims integrate into
society and acquire the means to live independently. Often
the runaway slaves find themselves in the streets with
nowhere to go. According to Mahmoud, there are more slave
families in rural areas than the government cares to
acknowledge. He thinks that"If they were given the
opportunity to be free, they would take it. They just lack
the means to be free."


5. (C) When asked by PolOff how could the authorities help
their family members left behind, they responded "by helping
us reunite with them and asking our masters to give us a
compensation."


6. (C) Comment: Some in the government and many among the
Moor population still deny there is slavery in Mauritania.
They accuse those who talk about slavery of inciting racial
hatred, and wanting to enrich themselves and put themselves
on the international spotlight. Nevertheless, El Khair,
Khoueidama, M'Bareck, Meryem, and Mahmoud -- who have only
known povery, mistreatment and exploitation -- are the living
proof that slavery still exists and that justice will not be
done until the law is applied (reftel). End comment.

BOULWARE

BOULWARE