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MauritaniaThe situation in Mauritania deteriorated gravely in the reporting period due to the murder of a Christian aid worker in June 2009, the arrest and torture of 35 Mauritanian Christians in July 2009 and the arrest of a group of 150 of Sub-Saharan Christians in August 2009 for having their own church meeting (these meetings are only allowed in a few Catholic and Protestant churches). The murder was claimed by al-Qaida in the Maghreb (AQIM), a terrorist group from Algerian origin recently linking up with al-Qaida and widening the scope of its activities to the whole of North Africa. However, local police were responsible for the arrest and torture of Mauritanian Christians and the arrest of the Sub-Saharan Christians. The Mauritanian Constitution defines the country as an Islamic republic and recognizes Islam as the religion of its citizens and the state. The government limits the freedom of religion by prohibiting the printing and distribution of non-Islamic religious materials and the proselytizing of Muslims. A military junta, conducted by General Aziz, toppled the country's elected president in 2008. Mauritanian pro-democratic parties urged the African Union to pressure the ruling junta to obey its directive to reinstate the toppled president. After many discussions and the dismissal of the former president, General Aziz was elected as new president in July 2009. |
