Modern-day slavery is still very much present in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. To this day, individual identity is attached to hereditary and caste lines, thus keeping slavery in place. Despite the Mauritanian government’s efforts to hide these practices from the attention of the international community, a number of Mauritanian and international NGOs are particularly active in campaigning for this issue, a major local one being IRA-Mauritanie (Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement). Biram Dah Abeid, President of IRA-Mauritanie and former UNPO Presidency member, together with his deputy Brahim Bilal Ramdhane, have been imprisoned for their activism since 11 November 2014.

Today [27 April 2016], Biram Dah Abeid is writing an open letter to the Mauritanian people, the international community and especially to his fellow anti-slavery activists, asking them to keep up their efforts and to not give up their fight. His letter is filled with gratitude, honesty, and strength for the abolitionist movement.

You can access his letter here, in English, French or Arabic.

To read more about Biram Dah Abeid, his arrest and his conviction, read the timeline that UNPO has regularly updated.