Geopolitics
Will ‘Mauritanian Spartacus’ See an End to Slavery?
April 11, 2019
Fredrik Hellem
While enjoying rapid economic growth in the 21stcentury, largely a product of fishing along its 700-kilometer long coastline and exploiting its abundance of minerals, most notably iron, copper, phosphate, and gold – Mauritania has failed to transform this growth into societal development, most importantly to end hereditary slavery. Meanwhile, the ‘Mauritanian Spartacus’ is preparing for the June presidential election. Ethnic Divisions and Slavery An estimated 25% of the population is Afro-Mauritians made up…