OneWorld.net (U.S.)

OneWorld.net note: A Mauritanian women's group condemned the Wednesday military coup that ousted the democratically elected president of Mauritania and is calling on international institutions and human rights groups to help restore democracy in the country.

• President Abdallahi. © Manon Riviere/IRIN Renegade soldiers detained President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf after the former issued a decree to fire the country's top four military leaders. General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, leader of the coup and head of the presidential guard, then announced the creation of a new state council, saying, "the country is confronted with a series of security problems, including terrorism, that only the army is capable of eradicating," reports the UN news agency, IRIN.

• Members of the African Union, EU, and UN called the coup a step backwards for democracy and political stability in West Africa. The president of Nigeria warned the military leaders that the AU will "not recognize any government that didn't come into being through constitutional means," writes the Nigeria-based newspaper, This Day.

• President Abdallahi was elected in 2007, becoming Mauritania's first democratically elected leader in 20 years. Recently, however, Abdallahi has been accused of corruption and a majority of the country's parliament members has called for his resignation. Abdallahi did not give any reason for dismissing the four military leaders, writes This Day.

WLP Partner in Mauritania, AFCF, Condemns the Coup d'état and Calls for Restoration of Constitutional Government in Mauritania

From: Women's Learning Partnership

August 7, 2008

WLP Partner in Mauritania, L'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF) strongly condemns the coup d'état that took place in Mauritania on Wednesday August 6, 2008 in contempt of the democratic choices expressed by the people of Mauritania after a long period of dictatorship and instability.

AFCF:

* Demands a return to constitutional legality and the reinstatement of the democratically-elected president and his government;
* Calls on all human rights institutions, activists and personalities to resolutely reject this coup d'état and to defend Mauritania's democratic constitutional order; and
* Appeals to international institutions, notably the European Union, to use their influence to re-establish constitutionalism in Mauritania.

L'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF) is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to promote human rights and defend the rights of women and children. AFCF promotes the legal, social, and economic empowerment of women, especially those in rural locations. The organization advocates for the improvement of the 2001 Personal Status Law and strives to ensure that protections under the current law are accessible to women in Mauritania. AFCF supports the participation of female heads of households in action for social change through training activities and provides services to women in crisis situations. Since 2005 WLP and AFCF have been working together to expand skills-building and leadership training to enhance women's participation in decision-making in the family, community, and in politics.

To read more about women's rights and Mauritania, visit the Women's Learning Parnership.