VZCZCXRO0173
PP RUEHPA RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNK #0718/01 3091537
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051537Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8888
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1258
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0898
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0841
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0243
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 2391
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0790
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHDS/USMISSION USAU ADDIS ABABA
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1311

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 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000718  002 OF 002 
 
 
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