The republic of Mauritania is on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Area: 1,030,700 sq km (398,000 sq mi). Pop. (1993 est.): 2,171,000. Cap.: Nouakchott. Monetary unit: ouguiya, with (Oct. 4, 1993) a free rate of 112.98 ouguiya to U.S. $1 (171.17 ouguiya = £1 sterling). President in 1993, Col. Maaouya Ould Sidi Ahmed Taya; prime minister, Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar.
On May 29, 1993, the National Assembly granted unconditional amnesty to all military and security personnel convicted of violent actions that had resulted in the deaths of several hundred black Mauritanians between April 15, 1990, and April 15, 1991. The following day, police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of angry demonstrators in Nouakchott who were protesting the passage of the bill. Tensions between Moors and black Mauritanians remained high. Hamdi Ould Mouknass, leader of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces-New Era, was arrested on June 24, reportedly two days before a scheduled press conference.
Despite the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Senegal and the reopening of the border in 1992, more than 50,000 Mauritanian refugees who had fled to Senegal depended upon aid from international organizations. An additional 8,000 refugees from the conflict were expected to provide for themselves as a result of previous aid programs.
The burden of international debt continued to depress the economy. In January, Japan provided 1,480,000,000 yen to restructure and reschedule debts owed to it. The Paris Club reduced Mauritania’s debt by 50%.
This updates the article Mauritania, history of.