Zawaya

Mohamed Mohamedou Khattat

Mohamed Mohamedou Khattat is a writer, journalist and political analyst. The editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Nouakchott Info, Khattat is the director of the Nouakchott Information Agency.

Opinions by this panelist

President will have to command respect

It is clear that the main precondition is, first and foremost, that the first round of the presidential elections on July 18th and the second round that may be held on August 1st must be transparent, since the last presidential… more

No, in the end, justice has not been done

Justice was indeed at work when, on January 31st, 2001 in a special neutral court in the Netherlands, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was handed down a life sentence to be served in Greenock jail, near to Glasgow. Justice was at work… more

Looking forward to an African seat at the Security Council

For once, Colonel Kadhafi hit the spot by demanding a seat at the United Nations Security Council for the African Union, following a rotation system that will be based on criteria set by the Union itself. Even French President Nicolas… more

Politics disable everything

"If nature is threatened, so are we". This is probably what the five member countries of the Arab Maghreb Union (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) were thinking before expressing their willingness to adopt a common position on environmental issues… more

Controlling our territories and developing our countries

Security is definitely a problem in Yemen with its hardcore terrorism, and in Somalia which is plagued by endless conflicts giving free rein to piracy around the Horn of Africa. Eyes are now riveted, however, on the sub-Saharan arc stretching… more

Aid, more aid, and a lot of...means!

Contamination has been widely spreading in the Sahel countries which have become a real challenge in terms of securing the borders, fighting terrorism and other trades, and the establishment of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has taken alarming proportions… more

Strong political will and further economic integration

The AMU celebrated its 21st anniversary on February 17, 2010. We would have sung "happy birthday" to the Union, if we didn't have this unbearable and penalizing delay in the establishment of our "common home" in the Maghreb, which keeps… more

A typical Arab summit: No consensus, and omitting security issues in the Maghreb

The summit of the Arab League held on 27-28 March in Libya - and more specifically in Sirte, Kadhafi's hometown -, has unsurprisingly ended with the disagreement of Arabs on the core of the meeting, or at least without any… more

Addressing social dysfunctions (poverty, exclusion, crime, violence...)

There's not a shadow of a doubt that our Maghreb counties have experienced some great security shocks during the first decade of the 21st century. First, there is the cross-border phenomenon of terrorism and its corollaries in terms of deterioration… more

"UN Women": A commendable initiative, but...

A UN agency dedicated to women issues! This should give goose bumps to "the poor devils that we (men) are" (as Julio Iglesias put it), eager to express, at every turn, our "masculinity" in order to protect our "masculine culture… more

Promoting women's awareness about their rights

In our Arab and Muslim societies and in the Maghreb in particular, women have always been conditioned - with the help of religious interpretations - by our traditional behaviors that confined their role to guarding our traditional values, by being… more

Freedom of expression: A dream forever cherished

All Maghreb authorities promote the idea that "everything is nice and beautiful", as if they admit - not without sly pride - that "the freedom of the press and the citizen's right to information are inalienable rights." However, to apply… more

Looking forward to economic integration

At the beginning of 2010, a team of Maghreb and UN experts met in Rabat to develop a strategic vision aiming to ensure food security in the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) by 2030. According to a press release by the… more

Security noose tightened while furthering religious dialogue

Ever since it moved to northern Mali, al-Qaeda's offshoot in the Maghreb (AQIM) aimed to recruit fighters from the bewildered youth of its target countries. The organization was mainly after unemployed and desperate young people who were left alone to… more

Rethinking social governance modes

In the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, unemployment and underemployment have been accentuated by economic reforms and the global financial crisis; the public sector is firing employees and the informal sector is barely offering any employment opportunities and decent incomes. The… more

"The nights are pregnant and no one knows the day that will be born"

Is this a transient phenomenon, or is it the beginning of a revolt to unseat the regimes that have been in power for over 20 years? Whatever the case may be, one thing is sure about Tunisia and Algeria, where… more

"We do not correct the man we hang; we correct others by him"

AQIM had already been a threat, chasing tourists (Paris-Dakar Rally since December 2007) and discouraging investors who are increasingly doubtful and leery. And since misfortunes never come singly, we are witnessing today several violent uprisings and demonstrations to protest against… more

Dare for more freedom and democracy

The strong wind of democratic change that's currently blowing through the Arab world has reminded our leaders - whether they are Kings or elected or imposed Presidents - that their survival depends solely on their ability to meet the expectations… more

Enhanced economic integration and joint conflict prevention

Due to the Libyan crisis, the countries of the Arab Maghreb Union (more than any other union in Africa or the Mashreq) are facing a real danger of mass exodus, and potential economic, social, security and strategic imbalances. Besides receiving… more

Mauritania is a good model

Almost one year after they were pardoned by the President at the end of the holy month of Ramadan in 2010, 36 former Salafi jihadist prisoners were granted individual loans amounting to three million ouguiyas (around $12,000) by the Mauritanian… more

Forever distressed by the 9/11 attacks

What hasn't changed, in the world, on the heels of the 9/11 terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda in the United States of America? Nothing is the same ever since. This includes the international fight against terrorism with local and… more

Winning the challenge of social progress to establish an effective democracy

Even after Kadhafi is chased from power and tracked down, and his family is exiled willingly or forcibly to Algeria, Niger or elsewhere, it is still undeniable that 42 years of dictatorship, authoritarianism and despotism cannot end smoothly. Will that… more

Coordinating the recovery of weapons that vanished from Libya with the West

Nearly 5000 surface to air missiles SAM-7 lost "in nature" according to the National Transitional Council (CNT), "10,000 surface to air missiles" already in the hands of jihadists of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - AQIM, who operate in the… more

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion

On October 23, 2011, Tunisians successfully organized free, transparent and democratic elections for the first time in their history, where Islamists claimed a decisive victory, just like happened in Morocco. Afterwards, secular parties and Islamist partners signed an agreement to… more

Integrate former rebels within armed forces and security services

After the euphoria of the first hours and weeks following the fall and death of Kadhafi, Libyans seem to realize that returning to normal life might be easy, but the path to lasting social peace is tortuous, long and perilous.… more

Maghreb Islamists to strengthen democracy and fight extremism

It should first be noted that the victory of Islamists in the "Arab Spring" and the ensuing political turmoil in Tunisia, Morocco and even Libya, does not mean the triumph of obscurantism. Quite the contrary! I rather believe that this… more

With autonomy comes responsibility

After more than a week of "continuous improvisation" by Malian military insurgents, many Africans and other observers are declaring that the March 22nd coup that overthrew democratically elected President Amadou Toumani Touré helps no one except the rebels and terrorists… more

Maghreb instability endangers the world

The Maghreb region stands over 6 million square kilometres, has a 7500 km-long coastline on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and boasts extensive phosphate, natural gas, oil, iron, magnesium, silver, gold and copper resources. Mauritania, for example, has the largest… more

Libya neighbours must help the democratic transition

Libya's interim leaders face difficulties unifying the country, large areas of which are still controlled by powerful militias and tribes. And despite the peaceful transfer of power from the National Transition Council to the newly elected National Congress, the situation… more

Muslims demonstrate their frustration

The attacks against the U.S. consulate in Libya must be seen in their specific context in order to avoid making hasty conclusions about so-called anti-American activism. Since President Barack Obama's speech of reconciliation with the Muslim world in Cairo in… more

Free press reflects democratic development

Traditionally, the press has had the obvious, if not primary, role of reporting facts and informing as objectively and neutrally as possible. The press is also the watchdog of society; it educates and guides society with its analysis and comments,… more

Spare your parents suffering, warns salafist relative

My name is Zeinebou Mint Tijani. I am the sister of former prisoner Ahmed Ould Tijani who was arrested on May 1st, 2008 on the charge of belonging to a salafi group. He appeared before the investigating judge to be… more

Mauritania supports Maghreb neighbours at CAN

Mauritanians are increasingly enthusiastic with the approaching kick-off of the 2013 African Cup of Nations. They are big fans of football, even if the Mauritanian national team has never won a trophy or even achieved a victory at an international… more