#Mauritania : Mauritania raised its tone once morest its Malian neighbor on Tuesday, accusing its army of “recurring” crimes on its soil once morest Mauritanians. The Malian ambassador in Nouakchott was summoned by the Mauritanian Foreign Minister who informed him of his “strong protest”.
Mauritania issued this protest following two serious events involving Mauritanians in the space of a few weeks in Mali, including the disappearance of several nationals on the other side of the border in circumstances still obscure a few days ago.
Sound recordings circulating on social networks, attributed to eyewitnesses but not authenticated, implicated the Malian army in the disappearance of around thirty Mauritanians on the Malian side in the border area south of Adel Bagrou (east of Mauritania).
A local MP, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Henenna, quoted by the private agency Alakhbar, spoke of at least 15 dead.
>>> READ ALSO: Protests by Mauritanians following the alleged disappearance of compatriots in Mali
This disappearance was preceded in January by the death, also in circumstances not officially clarified, of seven Mauritanians in the same sector. Already at the time, the question of a possible involvement of Malian soldiers had been raised.
The Mauritanian ministry recalls in a press release published by the national news agency that the government had on this occasion sent a high-level delegation to Mali, «to try to contain this hostile behavior towards our fellow citizens».
Brother peoples
«Despite the assurances given» by the Malian authorities, their response «fell short of expectations»deplores the ministry.
A Mauritanian diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity following the common practice in such a situation warned the Malian authorities.
«We clearly told the Malians that if this continues, we will close the border»he said. «In addition, the authorities in Bamako do not pick up the phone when we call them»he said.
>>> READ ALSO: Nouakchott wants to elucidate the fate of Mauritanians presumed missing in Mali
In January, the Malian government announced the opening of an investigation and assured that no element implicated the Malian army. No element of these investigations has been made public since.
The junta in power in Mali since August 2020 has still not commented on the recent disappearances.
Mali has been caught in turmoil since the outbreak of separatist and jihadist insurgencies in 2012.
In addition to the actions of armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization, inter-community violence, and villainous acts, the army is regularly accused of abuses. This violence caused thousands of civilian and military deaths.
Mauritania, with which Mali shares more than 2,000 km of border, was affected by the expansion of Islamist groups from Algeria in the early 2000s, but has not experienced any attacks on its soil since 2011.
Dozens of Mauritanians demonstrated on Tuesday in front of the presidency in Nouakchott to demand an end to the abuses committed according to them by the Malian army once morest compatriots, noted an AFP correspondent.
>>> READ ALSO: Mali: release of two kidnapped Mauritanians, no news from the Chinese
«Our brothers are coldly murdered by the Malian army, we must react quickly once morest these repeated abuses» said one of the participants, Ahmed Sidi, from the same region as the disappeared.
Nouakchott is raising its voice as the Malian junta has recently undertaken a rapprochement effort with Mauritania. It is for the colonels to counter the embargo imposed in January by the organization of West African states ECOWAS to sanction their plan to remain in power for several more years.
ECOWAS member states have closed their borders with Mali, except Guinea, which is itself ruled by the military. Mauritania and Algeria, which are not part of ECOWAS, have kept their borders open.
The Mauritanian ministry explains in its press release that historical ties and humanitarian considerations prevented it «to starve the people of Mali, brother». But he warns «that the lives of our innocent fellow citizens and the safety of their property will remain above all other considerations».
