Ibrahima Moctar Sarr

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Ibrahima Moctar Sarr (born 1949) is a Mauritanian journalist and politician. Running as an independent, he placed fifth in the March 2007 presidential election, and he has been the President of the Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal (AJD/MR) since August 2007.

After studying in Cesti, Senegal, Sarr trained as a teacher before working in insurance. He became politically active in 1972, being a co-founder member of the Mauritanian Workers Party. Increasingly active as a journalist, he appeared regularly on radio and television. In 1983 he was a co-founder of the Forces of African Liberation of Mauritania (FLAM), and in 1986 he was a communication specialist with FLAM when they published the second edition of the Manifesto of the oppressed black Mauritanians. Following this anti-racist publication, that highlighted racial and discriminatory practices by the Mauritanian government, many black leaders were arrested and thrown to jail. Ibrahima Sarr was sentenced to four years in jail.

In 1989, after being released from jail, Sarr resigned from FLAM and ceased his political activities until the democratization process was started in 1992 by President Taya. Sarr then joined the Popular Progressive Alliance (APP) under Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, becoming a leading member of the party. He later left the APP.[1]

Sarr stood in the March 2007 presidential election on an anti-racist platform. In order to facilitate his candidacy, he founded the "Movement for National Reconciliation", although he stood as an independent. Claiming that "I am the candidate of the oppressed", he called for equal rights for Pulaar, Soninké and Wolof people alongside Moors, and the return of Mauritanian refugees from Senegal. Sarr came in fifth place with 7.95% of the vote in the election,[2] and he backed Ahmed Ould Daddah for the second round.[3]

Sarr's Movement for National Reconciliation subsequently merged with the Alliance for Justice and Democracy (AJD), and at an extraordinary congress to ratify the merger on August 18–19, Sarr was elected as the leader of the new party, the AJD/MR.[1]

Sarr said on May 10, 2008 that the AJD/MR would not participate in the government of Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef due to policy differences.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Birome Guèye, "IBRAHIMA SARR, LEADER DE l’AJD/MR : En quête d’ouverture", Africanglobalnews.com, August 24, 2007 (French).
  2. ^ "Le conseil constitutionnel proclame les résultats du premier tour de l'élection présidentielles du 11 mars 2007", Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, March 15, 2007 (French).
  3. ^ "Mauritania : Ould Daddah gets support of fifth place holder for presidential runoff", African Press Agency, March 20, 2007.
  4. ^ "L'AJD/MR annonce qu'il ne participera au nouveau gouvernement", AMI, May 10, 2008 (French).

[edit] External links

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