Boubacar Ould Messaoud, a rights activist who fought incessantly to wipe out slavery in his native Mauritania, died on Thursday in the capital Nouakchott aged 80, a representative of his NGO told AFP.
Born into a family of slaves, he founded SOS Esclaves in 1995 to eradicate slavery and support the reintegration of former slaves into society.Â
The organisation operated for years without official recognition before obtaining legal status in 2005.Â
A Soviet-trained architect, Messaoud was involved in several political organisations, including the anti-slavery El Hor movement, which he joined in 1975.Â
Although officially abolished in 1981, slavery persists in Mauritania in spite of the fact that penalties were stiffened in 2015.Â
Messaoud was awarded the Officer of the National Order of Merit medal in 2023, France's Human Rights Prize in 2010 and the Anti-Slavery International Award in 2009.Â
His commitment to denouncing slavery and the racist crimes of the years 1989-1992 under former Mauritanian president Maouya Ould Taya (1984-2005) sparked punitive action.Â
As co-founder of the Action for Change party, which was banned by the Maouya Ould Taya government, he was arrested several times during the 1980s and early 1990s.Â
He was also dismissed in 1991 from his position as director general of the public housing company because of his political activism.Â
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...
...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM CDT FRIDAY...
* WHAT...For the Wind Advisory, north winds 5 to 15 mph with gusts
up to 30 mph. For the Frost Advisory, temperatures as low as 36
will result in frost formation.
* WHERE...Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee,
Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Etowah, Fayette, Greene,
Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lowndes, Marengo, Marion, Perry, Pickens,
Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa,
Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston Counties.
* WHEN...For the Wind Advisory, until 7 PM CDT this evening. For the
Frost Advisory, from 1 AM to 10 AM CDT Friday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Trees
could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Frost
could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants
may be killed if left uncovered.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
Secure outdoor objects.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
&&
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...
...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM CDT FRIDAY...
* WHAT...For the Wind Advisory, north winds 5 to 15 mph with gusts
up to 30 mph. For the Frost Advisory, temperatures as low as 36
will result in frost formation.
* WHERE...Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee,
Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Etowah, Fayette, Greene,
Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lowndes, Marengo, Marion, Perry, Pickens,
Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa,
Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston Counties.
* WHEN...For the Wind Advisory, until 7 PM CDT this evening. For the
Frost Advisory, from 1 AM to 10 AM CDT Friday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Trees
could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Frost
could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants
may be killed if left uncovered.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
Secure outdoor objects.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
&&
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.