Hundreds protest demanding reforms in Mauritania Saturday, 26 February 2011 02:59

NOUAKCHOTT: Hundreds of people took to the streets in Mauritania yesterday calling for better living conditions and more jobs in the vast, impoverished desert nation that straddles black and Arab Africa.

Such demonstrations are rare in the West African country and few expect to see protests on the scale of those that have rocked Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and to a lesser extent, neighbouring Algeria.

A handful in the crowd of 1,000-1,500 mostly young people who took part in the peaceful protest demanded the departure of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, but they were in the minority and there was only a light security presence.

“The president has to respect his people. Aziz has always said he’s the president of the poor; now the poor are in front of you asking for dialogue,” said Mocktar Mohammed Mahmoud, a social worker who said he had got involved through Facebook. Reuters

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