Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, Mauritania's first democratically
elected president, pledged he would toughen the country's anti-slavery
legislation and take action to help former slaves.
This is the first time slavery has been officially acknowledged
as a problem in Mauritania and that a commitment has been made
to address it.
Abdallahi made the proclamation following the 25 March elections,
the first presidential elections after 20 years of dictatorship.
He vowed remaining cases of slavery would be punished, and former
slaves and their descendants would benefit from positive discrimination.
Anti-slavery activist and SOS Esclaves president, Boubacar
Messaoud, said he looks forward to working with the new president
and his government to develop a national action plan to end
slavery.
Despite being banned since 1981, slavery, which is inherited
over generations, is found throughout the country.
