reintegration after arrival. To that end, it set up the National Agency for Refugee Assistance
and Reintegration (ANAIR) in 2008 to help receive and reintegrate the returnees.
The agreement has also mobilized central and territorial administrations, which have played
a major role in helping returnees to become property owners (homes and agricultural lands
and resolution of conflicts involving them).
The Government has also set up a national commission to conduct a census of public
employees and State contract workers affected by the events of 1989. The commission
compiled an inventory of all the public employees and State contract workers concerned,
at home and abroad, with a view to helping them find employment. In this regard, 1,159
public employees and State contract workers received payment in accordance with
solutions proposed by the National commission and approved by the representatives of the
legal heirs.
The consultation process begun in 2008 between public authorities and beneficiaries led to
the resolution of the humanitarian issue in accordance with Mauritanian law, Islamic values
and international conventions and treaties. The settlement involved the award of
compensation (Diya) to the legal successors, and the invocation by the Government of the
duty of memory and forgiveness on the occasion of the Day of National Reconciliation,
celebrated on 25 March 2009 at Kaédi (prayer in memory of the victims and speech by the
President of the Republic).
Section 2: Eradication of the legacy of slavery
The eradication of the legacy and modern forms of slavery is a priority for the Government.
In this regard, it adopted on 6 March 2014, a roadmap for the eradication of modern forms
of slavery and established an inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Prime Minister in
charge of implementing the recommendations of this roadmap as well as a technical
monitoring committee.
The latter is composed of representatives of ministries, the National Human Rights
Commission, civil society organizations and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees in Mauritania as an observer.
An action plan for the implementation of the roadmap was adopted on 30 September 2014
and the following activities carried out:
Adoption of a law in 2015 repealing and replacing Law nr. 048/2007
criminalizing slavery, punishing slavery-like practices, and granting NGOs
the right to file civil suit;
Institutionalization of a national day on 6 March of each year to combat the
legacy of slavery;
Establishment of a cash transfer system for the education of children from
poor families and/or families affected by the legacy of slavery;
Implementation of a plan of action against child labour;
Development of school infrastructure (schools, school canteens, etc.) in
priority education zones;
31