Jump to content

Mauritania–Senegal Border War: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Good Olfactory (talk | contribs)
688,950 edits
m Quick-adding category Mauritania–Senegal border (using HotCat)
AnomieBOT (talk | contribs)
Bots
6,495,036 edits
m Dating maintenance tags: {{Original research}}
(25 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{original research|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox Military Conflict
{{Infobox military conflict
|date=April 1989 – July 18, 1991
|date=April 1989 – July 18, 1991
|place=[[West Africa]]
|place=[[West Africa]]
Line 18: Line 19:


==Background==
==Background==
Mauritania's south is mostly populated by the [[Fula people|Fula]]/[[Toucouleur]], [[Wolof people|Wolof]] and [[Soninke people|Soninké]].
Mauritania's south is heavily populated by the [[black African]] [[Fula people|Fula]]/[[Toucouleur]], [[Wolof people|Wolof]], [[Soninke people|Soninké]] and [[Bambara people|Bambara]] peoples, while the northern [[Moors|Moorish]] ([[Arab]]o-[[Berber people|Berber]]) population has long dominated politics, from pre-colonial slave-taking (with some vestiges of [[slavery]] remaining today) to political [[Arabization]] and [[racial discrimination]] post-independence. The [[Politics of Mauritania|Mauritanian Government]] had a recent history of discriminating against the Toucouleurs and Soninke within its borders. One such example occurred in 1987, when the government imprisoned southerners and threw others out of the army.


Senegal, meanwhile, was dominated by the Wolof.
Senegal, meanwhile, is dominated by the Wolof.


==Conflict==
==Conflict==
In April 1989, the dispute over grazing rights led Mauritanian [[Moorish]] border guards to fire at and kill two Senegalese peasants.<ref name=ow>{{cite web |url=http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/sat/senegal/fsenegalmauritania1989.htm |title= Mauitanian-Senegalese Border War 1989-1991 |accessdate=November 23, 2007 |work=OnWar.com |date=December 16, 2000}}</ref> As a result, people on the Senegalese southern bank [[riot]]ed. In Senegal, where many shopkeepers were Mauritanian, shops were [[looting|looted]] and most Mauritanians were expelled to Mauritania. In Mauritania, [[lynch mob]]s and [[police brutality]] ended in the forced [[exile]] of about 70,000 southerners to Senegal, despite most of them having no links to the country. About 250,000 people fled their homes as both sides engaged in cross-border raids.<ref name=ow/> Hundreds of people died in both countries.<ref>{{cite news |title= New cattle migration accord cools long-standing flashpoint |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=58931 |work=IRIN news |publisher=[[IRIN]] |date=May 5, 2006 |accessdate=November 23, 2007 }}</ref>
In April 1989, the dispute over grazing rights led Mauritanian [[Moorish]] border guards to fire at and kill two Senegalese peasants.<ref name=ow>{{cite web |url=http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/sat/senegal/fsenegalmauritania1989.htm |title= Mauitanian-Senegalese Border War 1989-1991 |accessdate=November 23, 2007 |work=OnWar.com |date=December 16, 2000}}</ref> As a result, people on the Senegalese southern bank [[riot]]ed. In Senegal, where many shopkeepers were Mauritanian, shops were [[looting|looted]] and most Mauritanians were expelled to Mauritania. In Mauritania, [[lynch mob]]s and [[police brutality]] ended in the forced [[exile]] of about 70,000 southerners to Senegal, despite most of them having no links to the country. About 250,000 people fled their homes as both sides engaged in cross-border raids.<ref name=ow/> Hundreds of people died in both countries.<ref>{{cite news |title= New cattle migration accord cools long-standing flashpoint |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=58931 |work=IRIN news |publisher=[[IRIN]] |date=May 5, 2006 |accessdate=November 23, 2007 }}</ref>
⚫
The [[Organisation of African Unity]] tried to negotiate a settlement to reopen the border, but it was ultimately an initiative of Senegalese President [[Abdou Diouf]] which led to a [[treaty]] being signed on July 18, 1991.


⚫
Mauritanian refugees would slowly trickle back into the country during the following years, but some 20,000–30,000 remain in the border areas of northern Senegal today, and this is were the armed black nationalist Mauritanian movement [[African Liberation Forces of Mauritania|FLAM]] is based.
⚫
With the departure of most Mauritanians from Senegal, the riots ended, but Mauritania's government under [[Ould Taya]] continued [[racist]] campaigns against southerners he described as [[black]] [[African]]s (as opposed to [[Arab]] Moors). The [[Organisation of African Unity]] tried to negotiate a settlement to reopen the border, but it was ultimately an initiative of Senegalese President [[Abdou Diouf]] which led to a [[treaty]] being signed on July 18, 1991.

⚫
Mauritanian refugees would slowly trickle back into the country during the following years, but some 20,000–30,000 remain in Senegalese refugee camps today, and this is were the armed black nationalist Mauritanian movement [[African Liberation Forces of Mauritania|FLAM]] is based.


==Refugee repatriation==
==Refugee repatriation==
Line 41: Line 41:
[[Category:1989 in Senegal]]
[[Category:1989 in Senegal]]
[[Category:1989 riots]]
[[Category:1989 riots]]
[[Category:20th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1989]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1990]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1991]]
[[Category:Race riots]]
[[Category:Race riots]]
[[Category:Racism by country or region]]
[[Category:Wars involving the states and peoples of Africa]]
[[Category:Wars involving the states and peoples of Africa]]
[[Category:Wars involving Mauritania]]
[[Category:Wars involving Mauritania]]
Line 53: Line 54:
[[fr:Conflit sénégalo-mauritanien]]
[[fr:Conflit sénégalo-mauritanien]]
[[id:Perang Perbatasan Mauritania-Senegal]]
[[id:Perang Perbatasan Mauritania-Senegal]]
[[pt:Guerra Mauritânia-Senegal]]
[[ru:Мавритано-сенегальский пограничный конфликт]]

Revision as of 11:38, 4 April 2012

Mauritania–Senegal Border War
DateApril 1989 – July 18, 1991
Location
West Africa
Result Mauritania and Senegal agree to reopen the border and end skirmishes
Belligerents
Senegal Senegal Mauritania Mauritania
Strength
Senegal unknown Mauritania unknown
Casualties and losses
Hundreds dead Hundreds dead

The Mauritania–Senegal Border War was a conflict fought between the West African countries of Mauritania and Senegal during 1989–1991. The conflict began around the two countries' River Senegal border, over grazing rights.

Background

Mauritania's south is mostly populated by the Fula/Toucouleur, Wolof and Soninké.

Senegal, meanwhile, is dominated by the Wolof.

Conflict

In April 1989, the dispute over grazing rights led Mauritanian Moorish border guards to fire at and kill two Senegalese peasants.[1] As a result, people on the Senegalese southern bank rioted. In Senegal, where many shopkeepers were Mauritanian, shops were looted and most Mauritanians were expelled to Mauritania. In Mauritania, lynch mobs and police brutality ended in the forced exile of about 70,000 southerners to Senegal, despite most of them having no links to the country. About 250,000 people fled their homes as both sides engaged in cross-border raids.[1] Hundreds of people died in both countries.[2] The Organisation of African Unity tried to negotiate a settlement to reopen the border, but it was ultimately an initiative of Senegalese President Abdou Diouf which led to a treaty being signed on July 18, 1991.

Mauritanian refugees would slowly trickle back into the country during the following years, but some 20,000–30,000 remain in the border areas of northern Senegal today, and this is were the armed black nationalist Mauritanian movement FLAM is based.

Refugee repatriation

In June 2007, the Mauritanian government under President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi asked the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help it repatriate black Mauritanians who had been forced out in the war and were living in refugee camps in Mali and Senegal. According to UNHRC estimates, there were 20,000 refugees in Senegal and 6,000 in Mali as of July 2007.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Mauitanian-Senegalese Border War 1989-1991". OnWar.com. December 16, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "New cattle migration accord cools long-standing flashpoint". IRIN news. IRIN. May 5, 2006. Retrieved November 23, 2007.
  3. ^ "Refugees cautiously optimistic about new initiative". IRIN news. Reuters Foundation. July 10, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2007. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mauritania–Senegal_Border_War&oldid=485495348"