A group of farmers in the Bbouki region of Mauritania's Brakna province have refused to give up their agricultural land, which they claim is being seized illegally through forged documents and sold to foreign parties. In a letter signed by their lawyer, Mokhtar Ould Ahel, and others, the farmers appealed to President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to intervene personally and uphold the law. They expressed hope that he would issue firm orders to implement the findings of an investigation committee.
The committee, set up under the supervision of the Ministers of Justice and Interior, had looked into the dispute and recommended that the documents presented by the party claiming ownership be nullified. The farmers claim that their ownership of the land has been established for over a century, with documents and reports dating back to the French colonial era. They stated that the committee, headed by the Inspector General of Justice, had concluded that the documents presented by their opponent were forged.
The farmers revealed that they had been surprised when a person from Chinguetti obtained documents for tens of hectares of land without meeting the necessary legal requirements and sold it to foreigners for a large sum of money, estimated to be around two billion ouguiyas. They claimed that the buyer had begun to clear the land, destroying trees and desecrating graves. The farmers said they had opted for a rational approach and taken their case to court, where a judgment was made in their favor.
The judgment, which was not appealable, stated that the land was a traditional collective private property, not public land that would revert to the state under the 1983 law. The farmers expressed surprise that the authorities had provided security protection to the foreigners, allowing them to continue violating their land rights. They emphasized that they would not give up their land under any circumstances unless the state took it over for public interest.
The farmers reminded President Ghazouani of his statement in Lekssibe, where he said that land belonged to the state, but its acquisition was subject to specific laws. They pointed out that their case involved a citizen who had used forgery to obtain land documents and sold it to foreigners, not a citizen selling land to another citizen. They urged the President to honor his commitment to upholding the law and protecting citizens' rights.
The farmers also recalled that President Ghazouani's father had refused to sign a French petition to confiscate the property of a prominent tribe in Takanat after the killing of French Governor Kpoulani. They hinted that the President's current leadership might be a way of making up for his father's stance. The farmers appealed to the President to take a firm stance in their favor and prevent the seizure of their land.
The farmers' dispute with the land buyer and the foreign company has been ongoing for a long time, with the farmers claiming that their land rights have been established for generations. They emphasized that allowing the French to take control of their land after a century would be a betrayal of their ancestors' sacrifices and a threat to national security. The farmers are demanding that the state take action to protect their rights and prevent the land from being sold to foreigners.
Key points
- The farmers are refusing to give up their land, which they claim has been in their possession for over a century.
- The dispute involves forged documents and the sale of land to foreigners.
- The farmers are appealing to President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to intervene and uphold the law.
