Protests in Mauritania against constitutional amendment

Thousands of people demonstrated in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott on Saturday against proposed constitutional amendments, Agence France-Presse has reported. The protests were a response to a call by opposition groups in the country.

The protesters marched towards the centre of the city to participate in a rally of the National Forum for Democracy and Unity (FNDU), which is made up of 15 opposition parties. Their chants were against constitutional manipulation, chaos and corruption.

Non-FNDU parties, such as the Rally of Democratic Forces (RDF) led by Ahmed Ould Daddah, were also involved in Saturday’s demonstration. The protests came in the wake of the National Dialogue held on 21 October.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who is a former general, chaired the High Council of State following Mauritania’s coup d’état in 2008. In 2009, he was elected as the official President for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, since when his opponents have disapproved of his presidency.