Israel facing challenge of mending ties with Muslim world Mar 9, 2009
Israel was taken by surprise when Mauritania, which was highly critical of the Jewish state during the Gaza operation, announced its decision to shut down Israel's embassy in Nouakchott ... "As someone who served in Nouakchott for four years, I am fully aware of the importance of this relationship, especially on the bilateral front but also with regard to the Arab world as a whole," said Israel's former ambassador to Mauritania, Boaz Bizmuth ... Since a military junta took control of Mauritania... (Xinhuanet, China)
* Mauritania asks Israeli ambassador, staff to leave Mar 8, 2009
AP, NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA Sunday, Mar 08, 2009, Page 6 ... Following the Mauritanian governments decision, on January 16, 2009, to freeze diplomatic relations with Israel, and at its request, Israel will close its embassy in Nouakchott as of today, ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said in a statement ... The Israeli action sparked protests through the Arab and Muslim world, including Mauritania, where tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Nouakchott in protest. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Mauritania: Food Spoilage Investigations Underway Mar 4, 2009
Nouakchott Six thousand tonnes of donated food went unconsumed in Mauritania in recent years due to mishandling and possible corruption, according to the government's Commission for Food Security (CSA). The desert country imports more than half its food stock and is already facing a shortage of more than 60,000T for 2009, according to the US-funded food security-monitoring group FEWSNET.. (allAfrica.com)
Khaddafi mediates Mauritania crisis Feb 16, 2009
The military junta launched the coup on Aug. 6 in the capital Nouakchott, arresting President Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf. The ousted president was released from house arrest in December amid international pressure for the restoration of constitutional order. (Xinhuanet, China)
Local Weather Feb 8, 2009
Melbourne, FL 32935 Last Updated: 02/08/09 07:15:32 EDT. C) Relative Humidity: 89% Barometer: 30. (Florida Today)
Press Release: Statement of at the Conclusion of an IMF Mission to Mauritania Mar 28, 2008
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Mr. Dominique Guillaume visited Nouakchott on March 8-21, 2008 to carry out the Article IV consultations for 2008 and conduct the third review under the three-year program supported by an arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) ... "The mission also reviewed the implementation of the program, which remains satisfactory. All performance criteria and benchmarks for end-December 2007 were met. Macroeconomic developments... (IMF News)
Mauritania: Record Hunger Predicted in 2008 Mar 20, 2008
com: Mauritania: Record Hunger Predicted in 2008 (Page 1 of 1). Use our pull-down menus to find more stories. (allAfrica.com)
Argentina, Chile to host 2009 Dakar Feb 13, 2008
The cancellation of Dakar 2008 "cost us tens of millions of euros but we did well to err on the side of caution because three weeks later there was another attack in the centre of Nouakchott", said Lavigne. "In Argentina and Chile, we are guaranteed to find the ingredients that make up the spirit of the Dakar. "Nomadic test par excellence, with 21 African countries so far visited, the Dakar has as its mandate the exploration of the world's deserts. (iAfrica.com)
Arrests over Mauritanian attack Feb 9, 2008
Police in Mauritania say they have arrested at least seven people over last week's attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nouakchott ... In December, four French tourists were killed by suspected Islamist militants in Aleg, about 250km (160 miles) east of Nouakchott. (BBC News -- Africa)
Al-Qaida claims Mauritania attack Feb 3, 2008
The statement, signed by the media committee of al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, claimed responsibility for an attack a few days earlier on a military base in northern Mauritania and went on to say: "This operation has come at a time during which the sky of our beloved Nouakchott is still polluted with the fluttering of the Israeli flag and during which the Mauritanian regime is [active] in its collaboration with the crusaders," according to Venzke ... Three of the suspected attackers were... (Jerusalem Post)
Gunmen's attack on Israeli embassy in Mauritania injures 3 Feb 3, 2008
Officials examined bullet holes on a windshield after gunmen opened fire on the Israeli embassy yesterday in Nouakchott ... NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - Gunmen opened fire on Israel's embassy in Mauritania yesterday, wounding three bystanders, including a French woman ... Some witnesses said the attackers, who numbered at least three, shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) as they exchanged fire with guards at the fortified embassy in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. (Boston Globe)
Gunmen attack Israeli embassy in Mauritania, 3 hurt Feb 2, 2008
NOUAKCHOTT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on Israel's embassy in Mauritania on Friday, wounding three bystanders including a French woman ... Some witnesses said the attackers, who numbered at least three, shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) as they exchanged fire with guards at the fortified embassy in a tree-lined street of the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott ... The French woman was hit in a car outside the club, one of few places in Nouakchott to serve alcohol, and was treated in... (Reuters)
Gun attack on Israeli embassy in Mauritania Feb 1, 2008
A soldier guarding the Israeli embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania ... The attackers also fired at a nightclub about 50 metres from the embassy, injuring its two Mauritanian owners and a French woman in a car, Nouakchott's governor, Mohamed Lemine Ould Zeine, told Reuters. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Israeli embassy in Mauritania attacked Feb 1, 2008
NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA At least one gunman opened fire on the Israeli embassy in Mauritania Friday, setting off a battle with guards that wounded one person, according to Israeli officials and witnesses. The Israeli ambassador to the northwest African nation said the wounded person was a Mauritanian who lived nearby and no embassy employees were hurt. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Mauritania gunmen target embassy Feb 1, 2008
Unidentified gunmen have opened fire on the Israeli embassy in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, wounding at least one person, officials have said ... At least nine people were arrested in connection with that attack, which occurred in Aleg, about 250km (160 miles) east of Nouakchott. (BBC News)
Mauritania: First Refugees Returning From Senegal Get Mixed Welcome Jan 30, 2008
According to a prominent Mauritanian journalist in Nouakchott, the returns threaten to stoke inter-ethnic tensions ... Moussa, a black Mauritanian from the capital Nouakchott, said that it is after the UN agencies leave that the difficulties might become more acute. (allAfrica.com)
Mauritania suspects extradited Jan 13, 2008
The two suspects and three accomplices, all arrested in Guinea-Bissau, will be met in Mauritania s capital Nouakchott by local security forces, police said on Saturday. "The first two suspects have admitted that they are fighters of al-Qaeda, that their motivations are political, and that they are hostile to the West," said Edmundo Mendes the deputy director of Guinea-Bissau's judicial police. (Aljazeera.Net)
Two held over Mauritania killings Jan 12, 2008
The gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons, before speeding off in a car that was later recovered in Aleg, about 250km (160 miles) east of the capital Nouakchott. Prosecutors in Nouakchott say the suspects are thought to belong to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - a group formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. (BBC News -- Europe)
Mauritania: Heightened Insecurity Not Hindering Aid Operations Jan 9, 2008
On 24 December, suspected al Qaeda militants shot dead four French tourists in Aleg, 250 km south of the capital Nouakchott and close to the Senegal border, prompting a regional manhunt. Three days later on 27 December, three army soldiers were killed in an attack further north. (allAfrica.com)
French tour operators keep Mauritanian schedule despite threatsNouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - French tour operators have decided tomaintain their travel schedule for Mauritania,despite warnings from the French government, the state-run daily"Horizon" reported here, quoting a statement from theoperators. 07/01/2008 Full Text... Jan 7, 2008
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - French tour operators have decided to maintain their travel schedule for Mauritania, despite warnings from the French government, the state-run daily "Horizon" reported here, quoting a statement from the operators ... Nouakchott - 07/01/2008. (Panapress.com)
Terror Threat Nixes Dakar Rally Jan 5, 2008
"The worries expressed by the French are unfounded," said Mohamed El Moustapha Ould Cheibani, who heads a tour agency in Atar, a city 270 miles north of the capital, Nouakchott ... Associated Press writers Ahmed Mohamed in Nouakchott, Mauritania, and John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report. (Time.com)
Dakar Rally canceled as organizers fear terror attacks Jan 5, 2008
Associated Press writers Ahmed Mohamed in Nouakchott, Mauritania, John Leicester and Elaine Ganley in Paris, and Lily Hindy in New York contributed to this report. Sports Information. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Sainz sets sights on Dakar win Dec 30, 2007
We are satisfied and the rally will indeed start in Lisbon on Jan 5 and arrive on Mauritanian soil on Jan 11, he told reporters in the capital Nouakchott. Last year, organisers of the 9,000km race cancelled two stages after France's security services said rally participants risked being kidnapped or ambushed by Algerian rebels while passing through Mali. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
* Organizers give Dakar Rally green light despite fears Dec 30, 2007
AFP, NOUAKCHOTT Sunday, Dec 30, 2007, Page 22. Organizers gave the green light on Friday for the 30th Dakar Rally to proceed as planned through the African state of Mauritania despite security fears prompted by recent al-Qaeda- linked attacks. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Terrorists blamed for deaths Dec 27, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) - Mauritania's interior minister blamed a terrorist sleeper cell Wednesday for the Christmas Eve killing of four French family members visiting the African country ... Initially police had said the gunmen were attempting to rob the French family as they picnicked on the side of a road near Aleg, a small town 150 miles east of Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott. (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
Tourists' killers linked to al-Qa'ida Dec 27, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT: The Christmas Eve murder of four French tourists in Mauritania has been linked to al-Qai'da's African affiliate. Gunmen shot the tourists as they picnicked on the side of a road near Aleg, a small town 245km east of the capital, Nouakchott, police said. (The Australian)
Mauritania: Fistula - A Medical And Cultural Problem Dec 26, 2007
com: Mauritania: Fistula - A Medical And Cultural Problem (Page 1 of 1). Use our pull-down menus to find more stories. (allAfrica.com)
* Three detained in Mauritania Dec 26, 2007
AFP, NOUAKCHOTT Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007, Page 1 ... The father was seriously wounded and was being treated in a Nouakchott hospital, Mauritanian President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Mauritania searching for gunmen who killed 4 French tourists Dec 26, 2007
Gunmen shot the tourists Monday as they picnicked on the side of a road near Aleg, a small town 245 kilometers (150 miles) east of Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott, police said. The attackers then fled south toward the Senegalese border, police said. (International Herald Tribune)
Al-Qaeda link to gang that killed tourists Dec 26, 2007
They stopped at Aleg, 180 miles (290km) southeast of Nouakchott, the capital, to withdraw money. The group then stopped to picnic by the roadside about 12 miles outside the town when three men in turbans drove up in an old Mercedes car. (Times Online)
Mauritania probes 'al-Qaeda link' Dec 26, 2007
The gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons, before speeding off in a car that was later recovered in Aleg, about 250km (160 miles) east of the capital Nouakchott ... In their statement, prosecutors in Nouakchott said murder suspects were thought to belong to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - a group formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. (BBC News -- Europe)
Tourists shot dead in Mauritania Dec 25, 2007
A fifth person - said to be the father of the family - was seriously injured in the attack, about 250km (160 miles) east of the capital, Nouakchott. The wounded man was receiving treatment in hospital in Aleg but would be transferred immediately to Nouakchott, the French embassy official added. (BBC News -- Europe)
French Tourists Shot Dead By Robbers Dec 25, 2007
The attack happened 160 miles east of the capital Nouakchott. Mauritania, which lies next to Senegal in West Africa, is a former French colony. (Sky News)
Mauritania: Donor Funds Needed to Clear Landmines Dec 20, 2007
Some 400 km north of Nouakchott at the border with Western Sahara is the village of Boulanouar. Only the passing of trains transporting minerals out of the desert region disturb the peace and quiet of the cattle herders there. (allAfrica.com)
Mauritania: The Real Beginning of the End of Slavery? Dec 8, 2007
At a house in the Riyad neighbourhood of Nouakchott, Hanna Mint Salem tells of fleeing her masters in the Trarza region. She is around 30, but looks 15 years older. (allAfrica.com)
Complete weather forecast Dec 7, 2007
Jackson, MS 39201 Last Updated: 12/07/07 07:45:24 EDT. C) Relative Humidity: 74% Barometer: 30. (The Clarion-Ledger)
Online game nets billionth grain of rice donation Nov 12, 2007
An unidentified girl stands in front of her parents' dilapidated house in the city of Nouakchott, Mauritania on June 25, 2006. More than 600 million of the world's poorest people live in Africa. (CTV.ca)
Food price protests spread to Mauritanian capital Nov 10, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Violent protests against food price increases in Mauritania spread on Friday to the capital Nouakchott, where police fired tear gas to disperse about 1,000 stone-throwing demonstrators, witnesses said. The unrest in the Muslim West African state's dusty seaside capital, which followed afternoon prayers, erupted after similar protests in southeastern towns this week in which at least one protester was killed and several were injured. (AlertNet)
Two arrested in Mauritania on slavery charges Nov 1, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, MauritaniaS Two Mauritanians have been arrested for allegedly forcing two children to work as slaves the first suspects to face prosecution for a practice that many in this African country consider part of the culture, authorities said Wednesday ... Mohamed Ould Nobi, 51, and his 85-year-old mother, Marieme Mint Kneiba, were arrested Monday for allegedly forcing the two children to work without pay in Guerrou, a town about 960 kilometres east of the capital of Nouakchott, local... (Globe and Mail -- International)
Mauritania Court Charges 3 With Terror Oct 25, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania A court in Mauritania charged three men Wednesday with being members of a branch of the al-Qaida terror network and possessing explosives, a judge said. The three, all Mauritanians, were among seven men arrested last week in the capital, Nouakchott. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Troubled Air Mauritanie sacks 258 workersNouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Mauritania's national carrier, AirMauritanie, has laid off 258 of its workers and retained 120 others,following two months of inactivity by the troubled company, PANA haslearnt. 19/10/2007 Full Text... Oct 19, 2007
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Mauritania's national carrier, Air Mauritanie, has laid off 258 of its workers and retained 120 others, following two months of inactivity by the troubled company, PANA has learnt ... Nouakchott - 19/10/2007. (Panapress.com)
Egypt book final place Oct 15, 2007
But the east Africans were beaten 2-1 by Mauritania in Nouakchott. Egypt started Saturday s game with four strikers but it was substitute midfielder Fadl who spared their blushes with a 78th- minute header. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Egypt looking good Oct 11, 2007
Mauritania host Burundi in the other Group Two match in Nouakchott on Saturday. Already qualified along with hosts Ghana are Angola, Cameroon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Freed Gitmo Detainee Tells Of Desecration Oct 7, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, Oct. 6, 2007. Mohamed Lemine Ou 00003FAF ld Sidi Mohamed, who spent nearly five years incarcerated at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, in his family home in Nouakchott, Mauritania, Oct. 3, 2007 ... "The soldiers urinated on the holy Quran to humiliate us. They stepped on the holy book and told us we are a nation that does not understand civilization," Mohamed said in Mauritania's desert capital, Nouakchott. (CBS News -- World)
Mauritania - break in WFP food supply puts thousands at risk Oct 3, 2007
Location: Nouakchott. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that floods in Mauritania are putting greater pressure on its dwindling food supplies for 470,000 people who are among the most food insecure in West Africa. (AlertNet)
Wet and hungry, Africans flee "worst floods in living memory" Sep 16, 2007
Associated Press Writers Ebow Godwin in Lome, Togo; Brahima Ouedraogo in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Ahmed Mohamed in in Nouakchott, Mauritania; Kimenyi Felly in Kigali, Rwanda; Kwasi Kpodo in Accra, Ghana; and Bradley S. Klapper in Geneva, Switzerland contributed to this report. . (International Herald Tribune)
Africa Floods Bring Death, Devastation Sep 16, 2007
Associated Press Writers Ebow Godwin in Lome, Togo; Brahima Ouedraogo in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Ahmed Mohamed in Nouakchott, Mauritania; Kimenyi Felly in Kigali, Rwanda; Kwasi Kpodo in Accra, Ghana; and Bradley S. Klapper in Geneva, Switzerland contributed to this report. . (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
SA seal Afcon place Sep 10, 2007
The final qualifiers on October 12 pit Egypt against Botswana in Cairo and Mauritania against Burundi in Nouakchott in Group 2 while Togo face Mali in Lome and Sierra Leone meet Benin in Freetown in Group 9 fixtures. AFP. (iAfrica.com)
Mauritanians seize migrant boat Aug 28, 2007
The boat intercepted by the Muaritanian navy is said to have set off from the Sengalese port of St Louis and was escorted to the capital, Nouakchott. Tens of thousands of Africans try to enter the European Union illegally on boats and hundreds are believed to die in the attempt each year. (BBC News -- Europe)
WEATHER: Thunderstorms possible Aug 28, 2007
Mauritania - Nouakchott. Mauritius - Port Louis. (Florida Today)
Mauritanian Anti-Slavery Law Not Enough - Activists Aug 25, 2007
"The existing law is not really going to be effective all by itself," she told IRIN from Nouakchott, where she was meeting with NGOs to discuss how best they could lobby the government. Other steps are necessary. (allAfrica.com)
Drug bust arrests in Mauritania Aug 17, 2007
The Spanish and Mexican were arrested in Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott. The other case which police said they were investigating involved the smuggling of 600kg of cocaine. (BBC News -- Africa)
Mauritania Needs Help After Floods Kill Two - Minister Aug 13, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT - Mauritania has appealed for help to rebuild a remote border town after floods killed at least two people and swept away houses, leaving thousands homeless. Tintane, a town of 10,000 near Mauritania's southeastern border with Mali, was hit last week by heavy rains running off nearby mountains that affected more than 2,000 homes, Economy and Finance Minister Abderrahmane Ould Hamma Vezzaz said. (Planet Ark, United States)
Mauritania OKs jail for slave-holders Aug 10, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - Mauritania has passed a law promising jail time for slave-holders, an important step in the northwest African countrys push to eliminate a practice that has quietly persisted despite a 25-year-old ban ... This law is going to cause problems for people who are used to talking with impunity, who hold close our peoples ancient oral traditions, said Abdou Ould Sidi, as he bought cloth in the main market of Mauritanias capital, Nouakchott ... There are slaves who... (MSNBC -- International)
African country to jail slave owners Aug 10, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania -- Mauritania has passed a law promising jail time for slaveholders, an important step in the northwest African country's push to eliminate a practice that has quietly persisted despite a 25-year-old ban. The law, adopted unanimously late Wednesday by the legislature, calls for prison sentences of up to 10 years for people found keeping slaves, along with fines for slaveholders and reparations for those who have been enslaved. (Boston Globe)
Mauritania will punish slaveholders Aug 10, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) -- Mauritania has created a punishment to its law banning slavery. The northwest African nation's legislature unanimously adopted a law Wednesday promising prison time for people who keep slaves -- a monumental step in the push to eliminate the long-standing practice. (CNN -- World)
Mauritania criminalizes slavery Aug 9, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT (AFP) - Mauritania's national assembly has adopted a law criminalizing slavery for the first time ... A Mauritanian man arranges products inside his shop in a shanty town in Nouakchott's El-Mina. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Mauritania's best kept secret Aug 9, 2007
By Pascale Harter BBC News, Nouakchott ... But in a candlelit shack in the sandy outskirts of the capital, Nouakchott, he told me the story of his life ... Human beings in chains are not bought and sold in the full glare of Nouakchott's market. (BBC News -- Africa)
Mauritanian Drops Terror Charges for 14 Aug 1, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania A Mauritanian court has dropped terrorism charges for 14 men accused of aiding a group allied to al-Qaida. Five of the 14 received prison sentences but on the far lesser charge of forgery. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Mauritania prays for rainNouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) Mauritanians have launched anation-wide prayer for rain in the midst of a recurring drought, PANAreported. 30/07/2007 Full Text... Jul 30, 2007
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) Mauritanians have launched a nation- wide prayer for rain in the midst of a recurring drought, PANA reported ... Nouakchott - 30/07/2007. (Panapress.com)
In Mauritania Jul 9, 2007
"It is not safe for people to be on the train," said Ely Ould Abeilly, the SNIM representative in Nouakchott, the capital. "If there were any other means, we would stop it. It is a very heavy train, and if it derails it can be a very big disaster.". (International Herald Tribune)
Mauritania seeks to reverse 'fat is beautiful' ethos Jul 4, 2007
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania: At the Olympic Sports Stadium in this capital city, a collection of dun-colored buildings rising mirage-like from the vast Sahara, about a dozen women clad in tennis shoes and sandals circled the grandstands one evening in late June, puffing with each step. Between pants came brief explanations for their labors. (International Herald Tribune)
Mauritania president takes pay cut Jun 9, 2007
Mauritania became Africa's newest oil producer last year when it began operating its Chinguetti oilfields, 80km off the capital Nouakchott. But oil production is currently only 20,000 barrels per day, compared to the originally anticipated 75,000 barrels. (Aljazeera.Net)
Venezuelans demand channel back Jun 7, 2007
Medishagh, Nouakchott, Mauritania. Mariana Sanchez, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Caracas, said that the protests had been largely peaceful. (Aljazeera.Net)
Mauritanian editor released from detentionNouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The editorial director of the MauritanianAl Aqsa newspaper, Abdel Fettah Ould Abeidna, was late Monday grantedbail earning him temporary freedom after spending five days in detentionfor allegedly defaming a businessman, legal sources said Tuesday. 29/05/2007 Full Text... May 29, 2007
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The editorial director of the Mauritanian Al Aqsa newspaper, Abdel Fettah Ould Abeidna, was late Monday granted bail earning him temporary freedom after spending five days in detention for allegedly defaming a businessman, legal sources said Tuesday ... Nouakchott - 29/05/2007. (Panapress.com)
