Mauritania Mourns Anti-Slavery Pioneer Boubacar Ould Messaoud

Founder of SOS Esclaves and leading human rights activist dies at 80 in Nouakchott. Boubacar Ould Messaoud , a leading Mauritanian human rights activist and outspoken opponent of slavery, has died at the age of 80 in Nouakchott , according to representatives of his organization. Born into a family of slaves , Messaoud dedicated his life to fighting slavery and defending the rights of marginalized communities. In 1995 , he founded the organization SOS Esclaves , which works to combat slavery in Mauritania and support the social reintegration of former slaves . For several years, the NGO operated without official recognition , highlighting the sensitivity surrounding the issue in the country, before eventually receiving legal status in 2005 . Messaoud, who trained as an architect in the Soviet Union , was also politically active and joined the Al Hor anti-slavery movement in 1975 , one of the first organizations campaigning against slavery in Mauritania. His decades-long commitment to human rights earned him international recognition , including the Anti-Slavery International Award in 2009 . In 2023 , Mauritania honored him with the title of Officer of the National Order of Merit . He is widely remembered as a symbol of the struggle against slavery in Mauritania , where activists say remnants of the practice still exist despite its official abolition. Source: Newstimehub Mauritania AntiSlaveryActivism HumanRightsAfrica BoubacarOuldMessaoud SocialJustice