In 2007, Mauritania became the final country in the world to ban slavery. However, despite this law the government generally did not enforce the ban and was hostile to civil society groups who demand abolition.
One organization that was often a target of the government’s efforts was the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania (IRA-Mauritania), an organization with the goal of ending slavery, gender oppression, and racism in the country. The group was founded in 2008 by the son of a former slave, Biram Dah Abeid and former slave Brahim Bilal Ramdane. The organization’s actions, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, marches, and lawsuits resulted in the liberation of thousands of slaves. A protest organized by IRA-Mauritania in 2010 led to the first time the government of Mauritania ever arrested a slave owner.
On November 11, 2014, IRA-Mauritania and partner organizations were participating in the Caravan of Liberty, a convoy of activists travelling from town to town to inform villagers of their rights and document violations. The Caravan of Liberty was organized by Djiby Sow, president of the minority rights organization KAWTAL. A force of 600 armed police, gendarmerie, and National Guard troops met the peaceful activists on the outskirts of the city of Rosso and used tear gas and beatings to stop the Caravan. Brahim was beaten severely during his arrest.
After a trial replete with irregularities, the three activists were convicted and sentenced on January 15, 2015 to two years in prison for “non-armed rebellion” and “refusing to comply with the orders of administrative authorities.”
Djiby was granted medical release in June 2015 and allowed to travel to France for life saving surgery for which Freedom Now raised $12,000.
In May 2016, Biram and Brahim were released after nearly 18 months in prison, time spent in abysmal prison conditions, sweltering heat, and hundreds of miles from their families. Freedom Now hosted the two men in Washington, DC as they came to collect the U.S. State Department’s Anti-Trafficking Heroes Award. Together, we met with numerous Congressional offices to build support for their efforts to combat slavery.
In October 2016, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled the detention of Biram and Brahim violated international law based on the legal case made by Freedom Now.
In 2018, Biram stood for election in Mauritania’s parliament. He successfully won a seat and was re-elected in 2023. He ran for president in 2019, coming in second with nearly 19% of the popular vote.
Brahim continues his activism as the president of the Sahel Foundation which is dedicated to defending human rights, supporting education for children, and fostering social peace.