Declaration of Indignation by the Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH)

The Association Mauritanienne des Droits de l’Homme (AMDH) expresses its deep indignation and condemns in the strongest possible terms the mass roundups and arbitrary arrests of migrants carried out by the Mauritanian authorities in recent days. These actions, carried out with brutality and disregard for fundamental rights, constitute a serious violation of human dignity and of the international and regional commitments made by our country.

We recall that Mauritania has signed several bilateral agreements with Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, guaranteeing a legal framework for the movement and residence of nationals of these countries. These commitments must be respected and applied in a spirit of fraternity and humanity.

Mauritania is also a State Party to several regional and international instruments protecting the rights of migrants and vulnerable populations:

• The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which commits African states to guaranteeing respect for the fundamental rights of all persons present on their territory, including migrants.
• The Maputo Protocol, which imposes special protection on women and children, often the first victims of repressive migration policies.
• The African Union’s Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and the Right of Residence and Establishment, which aims to guarantee African citizens freedom of movement within the continent.
• The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, adopted by the UN in 1990, which requires states to guarantee migrants respect for their fundamental rights, regardless of their administrative status.

We also denounce the responsibility of the European Union and countries that have signed agreements with Mauritania to combat so-called "illegal" immigration. These agreements indirectly encourage repressive and inhumane practices on our territory, by transforming Mauritania into a bulwark against migratory flows. By outsourcing the management of migration, these states bear part of the responsibility for human rights violations committed in Mauritania.

The inhumane treatment inflicted on migrants during Ramadan is an affront to the values of solidarity, respect and dignity that underpin our society and are enshrined in the Mauritanian constitution. We cannot accept that men, women and children should be arrested, mistreated and deported without any respect for their rights.

Faced with this alarming situation, the AMDH demands:

1. An immediate end to arbitrary roundups and expulsions.
2. Respect for bilateral agreements signed with Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, guaranteeing dignified treatment for migrants.
3. Strict application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Maputo Protocol and other African instruments guaranteeing the protection of migrants and vulnerable populations.
4. Compliance with the Mauritanian Constitution and the fundamental principles of human rights.
5. Immediate dialogue with the States concerned to ensure a more respectful approach to migrants’ rights.
6. The European Union and countries that have signed migration agreements with Mauritania to take responsibility and stop indirectly encouraging these repressive practices.

We also call on the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, and all national mechanisms with a mandate to act, to intervene immediately to uphold the law and protect migrants against these abuses.

We urge all the country’s driving forces, human rights defenders and Mauritanian citizens to mobilize in order to demand that the Mauritanian authorities comply immediately with their national and regional obligations.

Mauritania cannot, in the name of security agreements, sacrifice human lives and flout the fundamental principles of justice and dignity.

Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH)