Mauritania Mourns Anti-Slavery Pioneer Boubacar Ould Messaoud

Boubacar Ould Messaoud, a leading Mauritanian human rights activist and outspoken opponent of slavery, has died at the age of 80 in Nouakchott, according to representatives of his organization.

Born into a family of slaves, Messaoud dedicated his life to fighting slavery and defending the rights of marginalized communities. In 1995, he founded the organization SOS Esclaves, which works to combat slavery in Mauritania and support the social reintegration of former slaves.

For several years, the NGO operated without official recognition, highlighting the sensitivity surrounding the issue in the country, before eventually receiving legal status in 2005.

Messaoud, who trained as an architect in the Soviet Union, was also politically active and joined the Al Hor anti-slavery movement in 1975, one of the first organizations campaigning against slavery in Mauritania.

His decades-long commitment to human rights earned him international recognition, including the Anti-Slavery International Award in 2009. In 2023, Mauritania honored him with the title of Officer of the National Order of Merit.

He is widely remembered as a symbol of the struggle against slavery in Mauritania, where activists say remnants of the practice still exist despite its official abolition.

Source: Newstimehub