This interview was facilitated in 2026 through the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in the U.S. (MNHRUS)

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Name of Participant: Hussein

Gender: Male 

Age: 30-40 years old 

Geographical Location of experiences described during the interview: Nouakchott 

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Creation of the Entry 

This entry is a factual, reconstructed narrative of detailed notes taken during the interview process. It does not include The Participant’s exact wording but summarizes the information they are willing to disclose. 

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Context of the Entry 

The Participant is a Haratine. He is 30-40 years old and has lived in Nouakchott all his life. He has never been formally enslaved. He has experienced a lot of discrimination as a Haratine person and has lived in harsh conditions of poverty.  He also details how, despite trying, he has been unable to own his own piece of land. 

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Description of experiences disclosed 

Hussein says he is living a hard life as a Haratine in Mauritania. His right to be considered as a human being like everyone else is not protected. The main problems he encounters concern basic rights, such as the right to education and healthcare. He says that they (Haratine People) have so many problems, it is even hard for him to list them all. They are discriminated against in every aspect of life. His community faces a lack of schools and a lack of any civil documentation. 

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The major problem is that many Haratine do not have a place to live; many would occupy vacant land in Nouakchott and then serve as security guards for the land. The owner will just leave them to take care of the land. Many Haratine will occupy construction sites, but after the construction is completed they have to leave and find another piece of land. At this moment, The Participant is not occupying “empty land: although he has done it in the past. Hussein is also unable to own any property. Sometimes the government can give away empty land it owns; he tried to receive land from the government but was unsuccessful. The practice in which people are homeless and occupying empty land is called “Ghazara.” 

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In terms of education, Hussein was not able to finish school or study that far. He was burdened by his family's poverty. Lack of education due to poverty is very common among Haratines. Hussein’s mother was a maid, and his father was in the army. His mother did not earn a fixed income. His father was a “military man.” Haratines are generally assigned a rank below soldiers and do manual labor for the military. His father was not very much involved in his life. Hussein says that his family was lucky not to be enslaved. 

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Right now, Hussein works in a hospital as a cleaner and laborer. He also mentioned he is not well; from his work in the hospital, he has contracted a disease causing him to be on medication for the rest of his life. He does feel comfortable sharing further details about his personal health. 

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Hussein said that he had a wish: he had a wish that he had a normal life and to live in a country where his basic human rights were respected, where he could go to school, and study something other than Hassaniya. He wishes he could speak another language besides Hassaniya. He wishes that not only he can go to school, but at least he can get medical care. 

He could just have a normal life like any human being, right to education, right to health, right to get food. 

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Language of The Participant used during the interview: Hassaniya

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Translator notes: One translator was present who translated from Hassaniya to Fulani and another translator was present from the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights (MNHRUS) to translate from Fulani to English 

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Source of entry: Detailed notes from the interviewer (who spoke English). 

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