Residents of eastern Mauritania fear al-Qaeda could launch a repeat of last year's Ramadan terrorist attack.
Mauritania stepped up security patrols across eastern sections of the country last week after reports surfaced of renewed activity by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Nema, Bassiknou and Fassala saw a security-call out Friday (August 12th) after authorities received information of al-Qaeda elements regrouping in the Wagadou Forest. The same region witnessed a series of recent battles between AQIM and Mauritanian troops operating with their Malian counterparts.
"Since last Friday, several military aircraft took off from Nema Airport toward the military barracks in the city of Bassiknou in order to control and monitor any movement within that area, where some elements of the terrorist organisation are said to be active from time to time," journalist Rajel Ould Oumar told Magharebia by phone.
Mauritanian army aircraft conducted several sorties across eastern provinces, even firing on a suspicious vehicle near the military barracks in Nema, only to later discover that the car belonged to a guard unit in the city.
"This situation created a state of caution among the population and administrative authorities in the city, with a sharp drop in traffic during the day and closure of the entrances to the city every night at midnight, where no vehicle or person is allowed to enter or exit beginning from this time, and the population is to report any case in which the owner is suspect," Ould Oumar said.
One Bassiknou resident told Magharebia that citizens in the town saw a number of suspicious vehicles crossing the desert to collect water at a local well.
"The flights by Mauritanian army aircraft continued throughout Saturday night and Sunday, and we learned from some residents that a state of emergency was announced in the province of Nbeyket Lahwach, north Bassiknou," the resident added.
Mohamed Abdellahi Ould Sabar, a merchant in Nema, told Magharebia, "These days, the residents of Nema are in a state of fear and extreme wariness, and their daily conversations are focused on the sorties by Mauritanian military aircraft, because the inhabitants of this remote town are not accustomed to such continued and strong air traffic."
"Among most people it has generated fear of a repeat of the al-Qaeda attack in Nema in the middle of last Ramadan, in which soldiers at the barracks were wounded," Ould Sabar said.
In a phone conversation with Magharebia, Brahim Ould Elbarr, a resident of the border settlement of Fassala said that people feared a repeat clash with al-Qaeda, adding that townspeople were worried by the increased aircraft activity at night.
"But after hours passed, it became clear to us that it was to secure the area from the threat of al-Qaeda vehicles operating within the Malian border," he said.
Jeune Afrique recently ran a report claiming the Wagadou Forest was occupied by al-Qaeda now more than ever. The publication cited a Malian security source as saying that shepherds reported seeing several al-Qaeda vehicles in the region.
"Al-Qaeda's persistence in Wagadou Forest, despite the strong strikes, can be explained by several reasons. First is the important strategic location of that forest, which represents cover against air attacks and monitoring devices from air and land because of its density, which makes it difficult to penetrate by land except from one side, which the terrorist organisation deliberately planted with mines," said Hademin Ould Saad Bouh, a Mauritanian analyst.
He added, "The second reason is the military opportunism of al-Qaeda, which enabled them to enter the forest as soon as the Mauritanian army withdrew to inside the borders of its country and the Malian army retreated to the big cities."
"It is also no secret that al-Qaeda has armed gangs hidden among the population and it is easy for them to take action. And some of its elements could enter the forest disguised as shepherds," Ould Saad Bouh concluded.
© Magharebia.com 2011
