Thousands of Mauritanians gathered outside the US Embassy in Nouakchott on Saturday evening in a large-scale sit-in to protest against Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and denounce US complicity in the slaughter, reports the Middle East Monitor.
According to local news website Essirage, the protest was organised by the Student Initiative Against Zionist Infiltration and attracted university students, political figures, doctors, civil society activists and ordinary citizens.
Chanting slogans and waving Palestinian flags, demonstrators accused Washington of enabling the Israeli occupation’s crimes through financial, military and political backing. Many called on the Mauritanian authorities to expel the US ambassador and sever diplomatic ties with Washington. The organisers said that the protest would continue through to the following morning.
The sit-in was part of broader solidarity efforts, coinciding with international calls for a global strike today in protest against Israeli actions in Gaza. The Student Initiative, a non-governmental body supporting Palestinian rights, urged citizens to maintain pressure on the government and condemned the silence of Arab and Muslim states. Protesters held the US directly responsible for the mounting number of civilians killed by Israel in Gaza.
Mushahide notes that since the beginning of the Israeli genocidal war, widespread solidarity campaigns with Gaza have continued in Mauritania, while tribes have competed to raise funds for the besieged Palestinians. Mauritanian tribes have reportedly raised approximately $16 million in donations.
