Dakar, 4 July 2026

The African Network for the Fight Against Discrimination Based on Work and Descent (DWD), Contemporary Forms of Slavery, and Related Human Rights Violations (ANDS), hosted by TrustAfrica, expresses its profound concern and unequivocally condemns the violent repression of a peaceful gathering that took place on 1 July 2026 outside the Nouakchott-West Court in Mauritania.

According to reports received from our partners and human rights organizations, Mauritanian security forces used excessive and disproportionate force against peaceful demonstrators gathered in solidarity with detained Members of Parliament Mariem Cheikh Samba Dieng and Ghamou Salem Achour, as well as other activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.

ANDS is particularly alarmed by reports that anti-slavery leader and Member of Parliament Biram Dah Abeid, President of IRA-Mauritania, and his wife, renowned anti-slavery activist Leïla Hmaida, were seriously injured during the intervention. The allegations that security forces deliberately targeted them, used chemical substances, tear gas, stun grenades, and physical violence against peaceful citizens, are deeply troubling and warrant an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation.

As a network committed to combating descent-based discrimination, contemporary forms of slavery, and all forms of injustice and exclusion, ANDS recalls that the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, physical integrity, and political participation are fundamental rights protected by regional and international human rights instruments to which Mauritania is a party.

The violent suppression of peaceful civic action and the targeting of prominent human rights defenders risk further shrinking democratic space and undermining ongoing efforts to build an inclusive, just, and rights-respecting society. Such actions are incompatible with the principles of democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of human dignity.

ANDS calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to:

• Ensure that Biram Dah Abeid, Leïla Hmaida, and all other injured persons receive appropriate medical care and protection;
• Conduct a prompt, impartial, independent, and transparent investigation into the events of 1 July 2026 and hold all perpetrators accountable;
• Guarantee the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and public participation;
• Respect the safety and legitimate work of human rights defenders, journalists, anti-slavery activists, and political actors;
• Ensure due process and the protection of the rights of all detained activists and opposition figures.

ANDS further calls upon the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Union, ECOWAS, the United Nations human rights mechanisms, and the broader international community to closely monitor the situation and support all efforts aimed at protecting fundamental freedoms and preventing further escalation.

We stand in solidarity with all victims of this violence and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the fight against slavery, discrimination based on work and descent, and all forms of human rights violations across Africa.

ENDS