Horma Ould Babana
Ahmedou Ould Horma Ould Babana, also known as Ahmedou Bin Horma or Horma Babana, was a Mauritanian politician and commander of the process of political struggle against colonialism.
Early life
He was born in 1907, in his childhood he studied: Quran and Arabic language and its literature, then he joined modern education willingly in Saint Louis in Senegal, this matter let his mom and the people of his village became worried because they think that the modern-educated person is a one who get rid of his identity, his religion, and repudiate of his family and became a supporter for the French colonist. After finishing his studies when he was 27 years old he worked in teaching for a short time, then he left his job to work a translator, this time the translator was the main mediator between the French colonist and the Mauritanian people which made translation a dangerous job in this period. He worked as a translator in most of Mauritanian regions, he left a good reputation because he cared about citizen’s interests by facing the French colonist, during the ten years of his work as a translator his clashes with the French colonist representatives happened because of their bad actions towards Mauritanian people and the last clash occurred because of Atar’s accident when Ould Horma quarreled with French officers because the harassed Mauritanian women in a dancing party so the colonist administration hold a disciplinary council and punished him by pending his salary and exiling him to Niger.
History
Practicing political work
After knowing the requirements of French Fourth Republic constitution in October 1946 he started his election campaign, and this happened after nominating himself as a socialist in French Socialist Party, he won the support of Senegalese socialists and the people who are indignant of colonialism and its policies and the most well-known person of them were “Leopold Senghor and Lee Min Ki”, they supported him as they him the pure hearted one who will save them from the yoke of colonialism, beside that his good reputation which he gained in the different regions her worked in them made him the best choice for that. All of these previous mentioned reasons led to Ould Horma’s winning and defeating his main competitor Yvonne Razak who was French by a majority of 63% of the votes, in this time French Law allows citizens to candidate in regions over the seas. After beating him he started to carry out obligations to his supporters to keep the originality, seeking for progress and responding to Mauritanian people’s ambitions.
The main points of his electoral platform
“Putting a policy for water” dams,wells,and water tanks. Establishing passable roads in different seasons which let us have a connection with Morocco and Senegal because this is very important for our economy. 3-Generalization of using Arabic language and French language in education.
Some of his achievements in French Parliament
The economic field and the national sovereignty. His request of the complete independence of Mauritania. The demarcation of the borders with Mali and controlled the two states of eastern basin and western basin after they were under the sovereignty of Mali. During his electoral period he abolished a lot of unfair procedures of the colonist towards Mauritanian people such as: the forced labor, also he abolished the person tax which every person must have pay it, as well as he abolished the compulsory hospitality of the French soldiers, also all the forms of harnessing, beside that he alienates all of the French rulers who treated citizens in a bad way. He placed a suggestion to edit the laws of education in the French Western Africa and also the laws of workers of Western Africa hospitals. Some Mauritanians talked about these achievements and eternized them in their eloquent and popular poems.
His advocacy of the Palestinian case in the French parliament
He made a lot of noteworthy situations in the French parliament as he opposed strongly the division of Palestinian state, also he asked France to stop helping the Zionist entity, and he threatened it if it had not stop helping the Zionists he will go back to Mauritania and calls for Jihad for the sake of ALLAH. This intervention left a huge effect in the French parliament and the Parisian newspaper “Le Monde” paid attention for that. He resigned from the French branch of international union of labor in protest against the recognition of Israel
he defended the issues of freedom in the Maghreb Region and Africa under the dome of French parliament. The ambassador of Palestine in Nouakchott in this time Adnan Abou Alhaijaa said ”Ould Horma as one of the most important politicians of Mauritania gathered a lot of African delegates around him and said loudly: We will withdraw from this parliament if you confess Israel. He led a group in the parliament that made a strong pressure which prevented France from sending three ships of military and civilian aids to Israel.
Some of his situations and roles in the internal French affairs and in French parliament
1-He introduced an interrogation against French government about Madagascar’s events which happened 9 May 1947 He had a lot of interventions in the parliament about economic and financial policies and all of these interventions support the increasing in salaries of workers, also to exempt patrons and farmers from taxes. This editing also states for lowing the standard of France representing beyond the seas, but Louis Marin disagreed with this editing although it will not harm Mauritania because it has one representative in parliament but Algeria has a lot. He also voted for the draft law of the main regime of from Algeria. He voted for Marshal’s plan to flourish Europe and NATO economically, voted for the agreements of collective labor and reformation of electoral system. He was very enthusiastic to limit the budget of French army, also talked a lot of time to decrease the budgets of French Ministry of defense and security systems to raise the wages of people and establishing health centers and schools in all parts of the state.
His support for Leon Blum in elections to be the head of the temporary government of the republic
Leon Blum who was supported by Ould Horma was the first Jewish and Socialist who became the head of cabinet and in the same time Ould Horma opposed strongly Israel as a state, Blum and Ould Horma were a members in the same party of “French section of the worker’s international”. After the crisis of Communist ministers in 4 May 1947 he rebuilt the trust in voting for Paul Ramadier’s government. Because of the recognition of French section of workers’ international of Israel Ould Horma left it and became a member of the committee of the overseas territories in the democratic and Socialist union of resistance. The years of his membership in parliament there were a lot of political activities in Mauritania as Ould Horma focused on the importance of awareness to get rid of the yoke of colonialism, and by his speeches for people he left despise for the colonist between population, so the colonist representatives tried to kill him in a two attempts of assassination, the first one happened in a hospital in Saint Louis in Senegal by a toxic injection but his followers understood that and took him to a doctor who gave him anti toxic serum and the second one was in Paris when an Arabian intelligence system told him that there is a plan to kill him and some of his French friends confirmed that to him, so Michel Faraon a diplomatic in the Lebanese Embassy in Paris helped him to go to Switzerland by train secretly, but he told the French that he had a call from his country and he will try to come back as soon as possible to Senegal in the first flight. In Switzerland he met the Egyptian Ambassador there who was Mohamed Faeak and also met Mr. Fath Eldeeb .
Twinning agreement between Mauritanian resistance and Algerian resistance
When he was in Switzerland he hold a meeting with Farahat Abbas and told him about his project of armed warfare, also he signed a mutual agreement of contention and according to it the Algerian strivers support the Mauritanian ones if Algeria became free before Mauritania and vice versa and also the members of Algerian Liberation Front are members in Liberation army and vice versa.
His Asylum to Egypt and meeting Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser
He left Switzerland and came to Egypt, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser welcomed him, gave him the right of Asylum, and described him as a national hero. Then he opened an office for the freedom of Mauritania in Cairo, he met all the political characters /symbols and clergy men, also Abdel Nasser promised him to give the financial and moral support to resist colonialism. “Le Monde” has announced in 27 June 1956 the news of the arrival of Ould Horma to Cairo, and that constituted a prominent political shift in the French presence in Mauritania and its impact on the political life. During the celebration of the Independence day Ould Horma met the crown prince and Ahmedou said that he came to Egypt to liberate Mauritania and to ask for the support from the other Arab countries and that Mauritania wouldn't be liberated by announcements and radio speeches, and that he needs material and logistic support to liberate his country, and that through a country which was in a contact with Mauritania. After the announcement of the opening of an office to liberate Mauritania, the leaders of the Maghreb region countries who were at Cairo at that time asked him to access in his office as Mauritania one of The Maghreb Region countries and he accepted that, he began his work in this office which included coordinates who were the leaders of the Maghreb region countries who were struggling for the independence of their countries, and he met many leaders who were:Habib Bouguiba, Allal el-Fasy,and Abdel Kariem Al-Khataby.
The crown prince returned to Morocco and told the Moroccan king about his conversation with Ould Horma, so Muhammad the fifth invited Ahmedou to go to Morocco and gave instructions to provide all facilities,capabilities,and conditions that enables him to continue his struggle to liberate his country from the French occupation. After arriving the royal invite to Ahmedou, he asked president Gamal Abdel Nasser to allow him to leave Egypt and go to Morocco to continue his struggle to liberate Mauritania from there, but the president Gamal Abdel Nasser refused this request under the pretext that Morocco was a modern independent country and the French soldiers were still in the Moroccan land, which didn't reassure the security of Ahmedou, but at last he agreed under pressure from Ahmedou and the leader Allal El-Fassy. The Moroccan king Muhammad the fifth received Ahmedou and welcomed him, and told him that Morocco is ready to provide him with all the material, human and logistic means in order to continue his struggle and resistance to liberate Mauritania from the French occupation.
Ahmedou Ould Horma resort Morocco
In 1957 Ahmedou resort to Morocco and was received by the king and once Ahmedou arrived to Morocco, Mauritanian characters joined him, some of them were ministers vocated their positions from Al-Mokhtar Ould Dada's governments and refused admitting it and among the nationalist characters that joined Ahmedou in Morocco was the prince Muhammad Vall Ould Oumeir the prince Trarza, his nephew prince Ahmedou Ould Sidi, prince Ahmed Eida the prince of Adrar, Dr: Muhammad Al-Mokhtar Ould Baba, Ouldi Ould Sidi Baba GOD have mercy upon him, Muhammad Ahmed Ould Al-Taqi, Esmaiel Ould Abeidna, Ma Al-Aynayn Ould Al-Nour, Muhammad Al-Hanshy Ould Muhammad Saleh, Sidi Ould Al-Dahi, Shgali Ould Meky, Muhammad salem Ould Batbot,thousands of Mauritanian youth and elders from different tribes joined him.
An important visit to Mali
In 1959 the Malian president Modibo keita received Ould Horma and provided him with the necessary support in the Malian land to handle military operations against the French, and to choose a leader for the liberation army in the Malian land.
Accordance party then the renaissance party
Accordance Mauritanian party was established in June 1950, Ahmedou Ould Horma had a political position in it, that makes the goal of this party was advancing the country through establishing democratic, modern structures, seeking unity and brotherhood in society. Then it was dissolved by France in 1958. So Buyaki Ould Abdeen with coordination and blessing his companion in struggle Ahmedou Ould Horma and other national leaders. "Ahmed Baba Ould Ahmed Maska, Shiekh Ma Al-Aynayn Ould Muhammad Al-Amien Ashbah, Haiba Ould Hammdi and Bamba Ould Al-Yazied" established the renaissance party in 1958 to be the heir of the accordance party. Renaissance party is the political section of the Mauritanian resistance and the liberation army is the military section and there was a complete coordination and unified leadership between the two sections. The renaissance party won the trust and the sympathy of the Mauritanian people in unprecedented way in the Mauritanian partiality and political life. In 1960 the Mauritanian government of the French union (Al-Mokhtar Ould Dadah, Hamoud Ould Mohmid, Sidi Al-Mokhtar Ould Yahia Angay and Marouf Ould Shiekh Abdallah, etc.) decided to negotiate with the renaissance party. At that time Buyaky Ould Abdeen, Ahmedou Ould Horma and other national leaders of the renaissance party were forbidden to enter Mauritania.. When the leaders began to come to Nouakchott the messes supported the renaissance party leading them a man called Sayed Ahmed, they formed a civilian army clashed the gendarmes in the airport who were unable to repel them, then they carried bayaki on their shoulders to the guesthouse in Ksar. This event made the government understand that the renaissance party was in a large degree of power that made the government negotiate with them. The government began a long discussion (over a week) with an office elected by renaissance party without any results. So they decided to arrest the renaissance party members in a late time and put them in a private plane going to unknown destination, and it was strange that the people who sympathized with the renaissance party had known about the news of arresting the renaissance party leaders from the radio at seven o'clock in the morning, in the morning of the same day the activists visited the residence of the opposition leaders to make sure that the news were correct, then the aberrations, coordination and movements began in the party and they made an extraordinary conference in order to make a temporary elections in Djmbr in the same year. Ould Horma was the supreme commander of the liberation army, which was including national Mauritanian strivers, the struggle had two sections: the first section was consisted of the political characters who were mentioned previously and resorted to Morocco, the second section was armed military which was managed and organized by the liberation army which was consisting of 1200 soldier and officer. At that time Ahmedou made an outreach campaign in a large scale through the radio in Mauritania and the dessert, newspapers and leaflets were distributed in the country in spite of the colonizer, and he established training centers in Mauritania as well as the neighboring countries like Mali(there was a friendship between Ahmedou Ould Horma and the Malian president Modebo kayta), Morocco and Senegal(near kolkh city) and in a short time the liberation army became very strong under his leadership as it made many operations which disturbed the French authorities and shaked their security. The soldiers in that army took an oath on the Quran that their goal was only the French soldiers and they wouldn't kill or loot the Muslims and French civilians and who break the oath would be punished by holding a disciplinary council. As a result of this military activity which was led by Ahmedou the French authorities decided to try him in absentia in a military court in Dakar on charges of high treason to France and he was sentenced to death and barred from all his civil rights. [1]
The Mauritanian liberation army was dissolved after the French soldiers left Mauritania
In 1965 the liberation army which made many successful operations and resulted in killing hundreds of French and Spanish soldiers from the occupation army was dissolved by Ahmedou Ould Horma after the departure of the last French soldier from Mauritania and reviewing the treaty between Mauritania and France, he announced that his mission has been finished.
His retirement from political activity
In 1967 he asked the Moroccan king Hassan the second (GOD have mercy upon him) to allow him to leave Morocco and live in the holy land(Mecca) as he finished his mission by liberating Mauritania from French colonialism.
Ahmedou Ould Horma resort to Mecca and worked in the organization of the Islamic world League
At that time Ould Horma moved to Mecca next to the sanctified house of Allah, and he devoted himself to help people to know about Allah and Islam from the Muslim world League where he had important positions. Many people converted Islam thanks to Ahmedou including some African presidents like president Omar Bongo and some ministers from Gabon as he had a program forwarded to African in French language and this program was an opportunity to learn and know about Islam and understanding it, and Ahmedou was excellent in that thanks to his work and his wide experience and his adherence to religion.
The French president cancelled the death penalty by hanging and recognized Ahmedou Ould Horma as a national figure
As a result of the forgiveness during the period of the French president Gouge Pompidou in 1973 and with intervention of some French politicians who was friends of Ahmedou Ould Horma in the period he stayed in Praise the Mauritanian government forgived him too. France announced that the cause of the forgiveness was because Ahmedou was struggling to liberate his country like many leaders in the world, France rehabilitated him and he took his material and moral rights as the leaders and the commander of the national liberation movement.
His return to his homeland and his death
Ahmedou Ould Horma was attached to his homeland and he was keen on returning to his country in spite of the obstacles which faced him as he was sentenced to death twice and he found many advantages during his stay in Morocco and Saudi Arabia that could make him forget his country. The kings and princes were keen on making him stay in their countries, but he was waiting the day that he could return to his homeland. When he had the opportunity after cancelling the judgment of forbidding him to return to Mauritania for the first time after he immigrated, then he settled in Nouakchott and build a big house there in 1974, and it is the same house where his family lives till today, he also build a house in Tmbiela to achieve a wish through his immigration. Ahmedou Ould Horma died on Saturday,12nd of Shaaban 1399 Hejri, 7 July 1979 and he was buried in Tmbiela where his father and forefathers was buried too, and he was buried between his father and grandfather.