FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Ousman Sillah
21 September 2007
interview
In this exclusive interview with FOROYAA's Ousman Sillah, the President of the Mouvement de Refugee Mauritaniene au Senegal pour la Defence de Droit des I' Homme, Mr. Cissokho Aldioma, passionately talks about their movement, the state orchestrated diabolical persecution and pogram of the black Mauritanians, the forced deportations, the legitimate demands of the Mauritanian refugees in Senegal, Slavery, Human Rights and Democracy in Mauritania, African Unity and the Way Forward. Excerpts.
Foroyaa: Mr. Cissokho, how did your Movement come about? What are your objectives?
Mr. Cissokho: Well, the Movement de Refugee Mauretaniene au Senegal pour la Defence de Droit des I' Homme (Movement of Mauritanian Refugees in Senegal for the Defence of Human Rights) was established in October 1994 to enable people, the World over, to know about the hardships and persecution meted on us (the black Mauritanian population) when we were leaving Mauritania at the height of the crisis and to fight for our legitimate rights to return to our homeland.
As you know, a refugee is invariably a very poor person, because when you are leaving your country you move out with virtually nothing. As refugees, we left our homes, belongings, community, occupations and everything behind to seek refuge elsewhere.
During the crisis, bona-fide Mauritanian citizens were painfully deported. The cruelty inflicted on black Mauritanians, the torture and summary executions are horrendous and despicable.
Those Mauritanians who became the victims of forced deportation included state functionaries (civil servants), cadres, military officials, farmers, herders, fishermen, students, who are all of black African origin. Infact, it is this rich combination of experiences that gave us the exemplary resilience and conviction needed to support and sustain our struggle during our 18 years in exile, that is from 1989 to date.
Foroyaa: How is your life as refugees?
Mr. Cisokho: To tell you the truth, the struggle was arduous and tough. Although it is not yet over, however, we are pleased to note that the full support and solidarity from civil society, human rights organisations and the local population have helped in giving us the necessary courage and strength that enabled us to confront and over come some of the challenges that one contends with when living in exile and fighting for a just cause.
The former regime of Ould Taya had done everything within its powers to deny us, bribe us, coerce and terrorize us. Our lives were really at risk. However, our strong conviction to stick to the truth is what had made us to survive to this day.
Foroyaa: What is the response of the International Community to your legitimate concerns?
Mr. Cissokho: We have been coming to The Gambia to attend sessions of the African Commission for Democracy and Human Rights (ACDHR), as we have observer status since April 1995. These visits have enabled us the opportunity to meet with and present our case to African and International Human Rights Organisations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Federation Internationale de Droit des I' Homme (FIDH), based in France, and many others. We have enriching, inspiring and educative exchanges.
At the continental level, the Union Inter African de Droit des I' Homme, based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, has also been very supportive to our cause
We have done everything possible to ensure that the world know all what happened to us in Mauritanian and the mistreatment and discrimination that exist there. We have drawn the attention of the world to the fact that all the refugees are black Africans, which is not normal in a country of diverse peoples and cultures. The black African peoples are bona fide Mauritanian nationals and who are without any mix, whatsoever, as Mauritania is their country of origin.
The undue hardships and suffering being experienced by the black Mauritanian refugees need to be exposed and made known. A lot of refugees died in Senegal because of poverty and the lack of means for medical care, etc. As long as we live, we will never forget those refugee compatriots who died whilst struggling in hardship and yearning for the day when they will return to their homeland. We will never forget these fallen heroes and heroines until the day when we, their surviving refugee compatriots, have regained our rights to return and freely live in our own country as equals citizens.
Foroyaa: What warranted your visit to The Gambia?
Mr. Cissokho: It is the new situation in Mauritania now that has warranted my visit to The Gambia. There is a new situation there following the change of government that toppled the regime of Ould Taya who had always denied the existence of refugees from Mauritania. It was this Ould Taya who had created and was responsible for the refugee problem. It was his government that had orchestrated and participated in the persecution, deportation and all the cruelty inflicted on black Mauritanians. Ould Taya had always insisted that the refugees are Senegalese and that if they want to return they should do so without any demands for reparation.
When Elly Ould Vaal came in August 2005, he promised to bring about Democracy, Press Freedom, Liberty of Citizens to freely express themselves without let or hindrance. But he said he will not touch or discuss about the Refugee problem.
Following the coming into office of the democratically elected government of President Sidi Ould Sheikh Abdallah, he promised Mauritanians that he has two priorities to address. One is the refugee problem and the other, the slavery issue.
Foroyaa: How far has the new democratically elected government responded to your legitimate concerns?
Mr. Cissokho: To Speak the truth, the new government is, so far, really going by its promises. President Sidi Ould Sheikh Abdallah had paid an official visit to Senegal and has told the Senegalese regime that the purpose of his mission was to pave the way for a safe return of the Mauritanian Refugees based in Senegal. He also sent a ministerial delegation to Senegal and which held discussions with President Abdoulaye Wade and his government, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the delegation of the Refugees. They visited all the Refugees camps in Senegal, such as Dagana, Ndione, Dodel, Ourossogue, Bakel and Bokediawe and have discussed with the refugees.
The common position of the Refugees is that we want to return to our homeland but with certain conditions.
Hence, the purpose of my mission to The Gambia now is to hold discussion with concern institutions and officials and to present the demands being made by the Mauritanian Refugees for their return.
Foroyaa: What are these demands that your Movement and Refugees are asking from the Mauritanian government?
Mr. Cissokho: Our demands are these: Firstly, we are asking the Mauritanian government to apologize to the Mauritanian people and seek for the forgiveness of, particularly, the refugees for the crime they have committed against them.
Secondly, the citizenship that was stripped from the black Mauritanian Refugees must be returned to them to demonstrate that they too are bona-fide citizens of Mauritania. After meeting these demands, the government needs to establish and create conditions for the engagement of returnees in meaningful and sustainable vocations.
The government has to institute reparations for civil servants, military and paramilitary personnel, e.g the custom officials (douanes), etc, by re-instating and paying them drawbacks. As for the peasant farmers, they have to be given back their land and assisted with implements and means to enable them to work on the fields again. The shepherds to be assisted to get their flocks back inorder to continue earning a living. Fishermen, too, needed to be returned their boats and fishing gear and to help create the enabling conditions for them to market their catch. The students should be enabled to return to school and be given scholarships by the state.
These are some of the demands that basically constitute our platform and issues of which to discuss with the Mauritanian government inorder to ensure and facilitate a safe and dignified return of all the Mauritanian Refugees currently based in Senegal.
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