By: Abdoulie John
Prominent Mauritanian human rights defender Soniya Yarahallah Haidara says she is enduring systematic intimidation and harassment orchestrated by elements linked to the country’s intelligence services following her outspoken criticism of ongoing slavery practices.
In an exclusive interview with The Alkamba Times conducted via WhatsApp, the president of the NGO FEMME et RÉSILIENCE revealed she has been receiving threatening phone calls day and night from unidentified individuals. “The callers openly blame me for using the NGOs forum platform to criticize the government,” Haidara said. “Upon my return to Mauritania, I was immediately met with ostracism. My only crime is exposing the persistent slavery and grave human rights violations in this country.”
The harassment began shortly after Haidara participated in the civil society forum preceding the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), held in late October in Bijilo, The Gambia. At the gathering, she forcefully condemned Mauritanian authorities for attempting to conceal the enduring caste-based system that continues to enslave segments of the population, particularly the Haratine community.
“Those behind these unwanted calls are not even hiding their numbers. They will not go scot-free!” Haidara declared, vowing to intensify her fight against slavery and related abuses.
Mauritania remains widely regarded as the last country where slavery persists despite repeated legal attempts to eradicate it. France abolished the practice in 1905 during colonial rule, but enforcement was negligible. Independent Mauritania issued an abolition decree only in 1981, criminalized slavery in 2007, and strengthened the law in later years. Activists insist these measures remain largely symbolic, with impunity shielding powerful slave-holding elites.
Rights groups have long documented surveillance, arrests, and intimidation of anti-slavery campaigners. Haidara’s case adds to a growing list of defenders targeted for challenging one of Africa’s most entrenched human rights scandals.
