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R 231140Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5516
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
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RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0314
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 0460
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0222

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000621 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR EAID KPAO MR
SUBJECT: THREE WEST AFRICAN PROTESTANT PASTORS ARRESTED 
(AND QUICKLY RELEASED) 
 
Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) 
 
-------------- 
(C) Key Points 
-------------- 
 
-- Three non-Mauritanian Protestant pastors were arrested on 
May 18.  Their churches' religious materials were seized, and 
their church doors were padlocked. 
 
-- The three, a Liberian, Nigerian, and Ghanaian, were 
released later the same day.  They were told that their 
churches were illegal and would remain closed. They were 
ordered to cease all future religious meetings. 
 
-- This case comes only weeks after the detention and quick 
release of a Christian Mauritanian employee of Doulos, an 
international faith-based NGO.  He and two other Christian 
Mauritanians who attended the same church as the Doulos 
employee were arrested for allegedly proselytizing 
Mauritanians. 
 
------------ 
(C) Comments 
------------ 
 
-- Given the quick releases, we think the Mauritanian 
authorities are simply signaling Christian groups here, 
almost all of which are non-Mauritanian, to reduce their 
visibility and to stop proselytizing , an illegal activity 
here. 
 
-- We suspect that complaints from Mauritanian citizens have 
been driving the actions by the police, but we have been 
unable to confirm that. 
 
-- Even with the arrests, we doubt that Christian 
proselytizing will stop.  More arrests could occur.  Neither 
side, however, wants a highly public confrontation over 
religious freedom in Mauritania, in our judgment. 
 
End Key Points and Comments. 
 
------------ 
WHAT WE KNOW 
------------ 
 
¶1. (C) Three West African Protestant pastors were arrested in 
Nouakchott on May 18.  According to an American elder in the 
local Protestant church who meets with the three regularly, 
authorities arrested the men, searched and seized religious 
materials from each of their churches, then padlocked the 
doors. 
 
¶2. (C) The three men were released later the same day, and 
told that: 
 
a) Their churches were illegal and would remain locked; 
 
b) The government would not return seized religious materials; 
 
c) The three pastors could no longer meet for religious 
purposes, that meetings among members of their congregations 
must be limited to no more than three; and 
 
d) Church members may meet for social purposes only, and even 
then only after receiving government clearance in advance. 
 
¶3. (C) The American church elder who had recently spoken to 
one of the three pastors arrested, Gueye Gaye, has also 
confirmed with Mauritanian authorities the details reported 
above. 
 
¶4. (C) Each of the three pastors, a Liberian, Nigerian, and 
Ghanaian, has a church in either the Cinquieme or Sixieme, 
neighborhoods of Nouakchott in which many West Africans 
reside.  In fact, the three claimed to minister exclusively 
to West Africans. 
 
¶5. (C) The three pastors reportedly receive financial 
assistance from large evangelical churches and ministries in 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000621  002 OF 002 
 
 
the United States. 
 
--------------- 
WHAT WE'VE DONE 
--------------- 
 
¶6. (C) The Embassy has taken immediate, but low-key action, 
as the Department (and others) requested.  In a telephone 
call on May 18, the day of the arrests, the DCM asked the 
Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed 
 
SIPDIS 
Lemine Ould Moulaye Zeine, for any information Zeine might 
have.  It was the first Zeine had heard about the arrests -- 
no surprise there.  Zeine said he would get back to us, if 
and when he got any more information about the arrests.  He 
hasn't contacted us yet -- no surprise there, either.  We can 
expect the MFA to proceed very cautiously with this sensitive 
issue of the Christian presence in Mauritania, a country 
whose citizenry is virtually entirely Moslem. 
 
¶7. (C) Also, ConOff attempted to contact the wife of one of 
the three arrested through the email address we were given 
for her.  She has not responded to the email, although we are 
confident she received it. 
 
------------------------ 
WHAT WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN 
------------------------ 
 
¶8. (C) This case comes only weeks after the detention of 
three Christian Mauritanians, one of whom is an employee of 
Doulos, a well known international faith-based NGO here.  The 
three were arrested allegedly for proselytizing, an illegal 
activity in Mauritania.  As in the most recent arrests, the 
three Christian Mauritanians were quickly released. 
 
¶9. (C) Given the quick releases, we think the Mauritanian 
authorities are simply signaling Christian groups here, 
almost all of which are non-Mauritanian, to reduce their 
visibility and to stop proselytizing, an illegal activity 
here.  Complaints from Mauritanian citizens might well be 
driving the actions by the police, but we have been unable to 
confirm that. 
 
¶10. (C) Even with the arrests, we doubt that the 
proselytizing will stop.  More arrests could occur. 
LeBaron