Boubacar Ould Messaoud, one of Mauritania’s most prominent human rights activists and a lifelong campaigner against slavery, has died at the age of 80 in Nouakchott, according to representatives of his organization.
Born into a family of slaves, Messaoud dedicated his life to defending the rights of marginalized communities. In 1995, he founded SOS Esclaves, an organization committed to fighting slavery in Mauritania and supporting the reintegration of former slaves into society.
The NGO operated for years without official recognition, reflecting the sensitivity of the issue in the country, before finally gaining legal status in 2005.
Messaoud, who studied architecture in the Soviet Union, was also active in political movements. In 1975, he joined the Al Hor anti-slavery movement, one of the earliest organizations advocating for the emancipation and rights of formerly enslaved people in Mauritania.
His decades of activism earned international recognition, including the Anti-Slavery International Award in 2009. In 2023, Mauritania honored him with the Officer of the National Order of Merit.
Messaoud is widely remembered as a symbolic figure in the struggle against slavery in Mauritania, where activists say traces of the practice still persist despite its official abolition.
Source: Newstimehub
