The military leader at the helm of power in Mauritania announced a few days ago his plan to step down at the end of April, one month ahead of the upcoming presidential polls.
General Ould Abdel Aziz’s announcement is meant to send a potent message that he will follow through his pledges to bring the country back to democratic rule and to show the ruling junta’s resolve to go out of its way to make that happen.
Yet observers of Mauritania’s unpredictable political scene say that what the country needs most is a negotiated settlement of its one-year old political crisis. They assume that next elections, which have been organized by the military and without consultation with opposition parties, will only rush a country that has been nose-diving to the bottom instead of bringing it back to normality.
This view is largely shared by the international community and the opposition groups which blame military rulers for toppling the country’s first democratically elected president last August and have worked to isolate and delegitimize them ever since.
But the much needed solution for digging the country out of its political mess lies somewhere between these two polarized positions. If allowed to shape the political debate, both defenders and detractors of the military advocate irreconcilable approaches which can only drive them further apart instead of setting the terms for a road map to chart a new course and steer the country clear of political paralysis.
A road map has to embrace the status quo and recognize the new military leaders. Calls for “return to the constitutional order” by the international community and the parties supporting the deposed president are overtaken by the events.
The new military leadership succeeded in rallying popular support and is making headways in its attempt to get international recognition. France has already expressed understanding of the new realities on the ground and press leaks spoke of a French initiative to effect a breakthrough in the political standoff.
The same goes for Algeria, Morocco and Senegal, neighbors who have either received the junta leader or undertook a mediation effort to try to defuse the crisis. Ould Abdel Aziz along with a ministerial delegation have been welcomed twice to Doha to take part in Arab summits in the Qatari capital.
With the overwhelming majority of Mauritanians behind them and major regional and international players poised to deal with them, the military will not feel enough heat to cave in to voices calling for it to leave power and allow for the return of the deposed president.
In the event the African Union and the EU fail to take notice of these developments and decide to go ahead with sanctions, the only party which will bear the full brunt of this measure is the people who completely rely on foreign aid for their survival.
What the international community should not do is to repeat mistakes of the past when it refused to recognize the 2005 coup which removed the ruthless regime of Ould Taya and initiated a promising political process that culminated in the election of the deposed president they are now calling for his reinstatement.
A repeat of the same mistakes will only widen the gulf between political rivals in Mauritania and prevent the international community from having leverage over the current military leaders. Had the international community decided to engage the military it would have been able to influence their policies to include political adversaries and prepare for a genuine democratic transition.
What the international community should do instead is to ditch its empty-seat-policy and work with the general to prevent his transformation into a full-fledged dictator.
This can be done by calling upon opposition parties to revoke their decision to boycott next ballots and join the political process to shape the future of the country. The world has also to send in international monitors to oversee the election and report on any violations that may jeopardize its outcome.
But the real challenges are those which have to do with post-election questions of good governance, political and institutional reforms, development projects and fighting poverty. Here again , the world should learn its Mauritanian lesson very well and give enough parenting to the country’s fledgling democracy that extends beyond the electoral process and the legitimate concerns of having an elected government in power.
One of the host of factors which rushed the deposed president to his inevitable doom is the failure of the international community to provide much needed help and oversight during his brief one year tenure. Although major international players, especially the US and France, were quick to laud the 2007 polls as a model to be emulated by the rest of the Arab world, they did little if anything to reinforce democratic rule under the new elected government. This accounts for the failure of president, albeit fairly and democratically elected, to effect a genuine break with bad governance and do away with the corrupt political class which is responsible for putting progress in the country on hold. The result is a series of violent events which the rocked the new government and culminated in the army taking matters in its own hand and overthrowing the president.
A similar scenario can be prevented from happening again if the international community engages the military leadership and tries to shape the future of the country instead of taking a hands-off position. The latter choice will only serve to turn the general into a dictator and leave the door wide open for more coups and more political instability for that matter.
* A former university professor and a Journalist at Aljazeera channel. Currently working as Simultaneous Interpreter at Aljazeera Channel.
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Comments (18)
1. 25-04-2009 21:44
Brilliant piece of writing and great analysis. Congrats mom.
2. 25-04-2009 23:24
What a waste of intellectual energy! Use your knowldge to serve your people not their oppressors.
3. 26-04-2009 08:47
I was a staunch supporter of the opposition when Taya introduced democracy back in the eighties. We believed that change was possible and were ready to sacrifice everything to unseat the dictator. But as years went by, we found out that the opposition is as tribal-minded and ethnic-based as the dictatorial regime itself, which accounted for its failure to topple it. Same thing is happening now as history is pitting the same opposition groups against the same people who protected and defended Taya's regime, i.e. Aziz and his colleagues. What we need now is less idealism and more pragmatism. Betting on the opposition to oust Aziz would a waste of time. We tried that with Taya and the opposition failed the task. Now, as this article fervently and smartly makes clear, we have to call upon the international community to work with the regime to change it, not otherwise.
4. 26-04-2009 12:09
opposition is shit and the governement is shittier. we r then doomed.
5. 26-04-2009 13:31
wright what you do you say but how can mauritania become a good country. this is the biggest question,etc.
6. 26-04-2009 20:14
Horray for the excellent work. I have some issues with the government part but on the whole it is a fantastic reading into what is a complex and highly sensitive crisis which dates back to the seventies of the last century. i, however, want to remind all of you that regardless of the depth of our frustration about backward forces in the country we should not lose for a moment sight of the key question of stability. Anything can happen to this country and we can live with, but if we lose security and stability, be sure of our end as a nation and a people.
7. 27-04-2009 11:43
keep speaking about whatever theory of society or governmnet you want. Bottom line, ours is a dead country.
8. 27-04-2009 19:20
Dear Mohamed
u r always as pertinent and enlighting as ever. And even the idea of working with Aziz to try to find a solution of the crisis makes sense, it remains to be said that such a move will be as futile as boycotting him. the problem is that we are not yet ready to takeoff as a nation. wa inna li llahi wa inna ileihi ragiuon.
9. 28-04-2009 15:09
You people are jest complicating the issue, talking about the matter as if it is very complicated and hard to understand only to make the vision unclear. Someone came to power by force, not even one Mauritanian elected him. The Mauritanians ether applauded him or kept quiet except a small group of politicians, not because they agreed with what happened no. those applauding are looking for there own interests and actually the are trying to get what they don’t deserve and off course they don’t care about the country in general, in the other hind those keeping quiet don’t agree ether with what happened, but they don’t understand there part of responsibility to stop it. As for politicians opposing the coup, although some of them gave an example of a heroic courage but they may have other considerations. Bottom line, democracy is established and protected for the people and by the people and I am afraid our peoples deserve only what they have at less for this period. Sudan elected a president more than forty your ago, but Sudanese fail to protect there young democracy and now they are facing the consequences. Unfortunately we are walking on there trace forty years later. This sadly is the situation.
10. 28-04-2009 15:53
one thing is sure, that I don't see history in the making. The coup defenders and those who oppose it are from the same mould of theives who hijack my country. Damn them all.
