Mauritanian police quell youth protest http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/04/26/feature-01

Mauritania's "day of rage" on Monday (April 25th) ended in violent clashes between protesters and anti-riot police and detention of at least 20 activists, including three women. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered around Gamal Abdel Nasser Avenue in Nouakchott but were dispersed in the afternoon by police units with tear gas, according to Rabii Ould Idoumou, one of the leaders of 25 February Youth Movement. 

The demonstrators carried banners with demands ranging from complete reforms to the removal of the government. "We will continue our demonstrations in the coming days until our detained colleagues are released, and until our demands are met which have now surpassed reform and demands of regime change," said Ould Idoumoum whose group organised the rally. "Acts of oppression will not dissuade us from demonstrating and raising our demands," he said. 

Protester Hassan Ould Keihel, who is an unemployed PhD holder in philosophy, said that "this demonstration can be considered substantive" compared to other rallies held in the past two months. "Today, we demand that the regime take stock of the other Arab revolutions as examples and initiate stepping down before it is too late," he said.He stressed that "the policy of oppression practiced against demonstrators was still unable to keep the heads of the other Arab countries in power". "Ignoring the will of the people will also not deter us from calling for our legitimate demands," he added. "Mauritania is part of the Arab world that has witnessed revolutions demanding change and rehabilitation in the face of corruption," Ahmed Ould Khalil said.