'For Mauritania' calls Abdel Aziz dictator

The For Mauritania organisation on Monday evening released a statement where it demanded the departure of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. It said: "Ould Abdel Aziz is no longer competent to remain in power or be part of the solution to the Mauritanian crisis, which he was a cause of." The document presented a vision for a transitional period that would have a consensus government, be short, and lead to transparent elections in which the interim monitors would not be allowed to participate. Military officials whose retirement periods had not exceeded five years would also not be eligible to participate. The organisation said: “Ould Abdel Aziz has broken his promises more than once, whether they were pledged before the international community, or before the Mauritanian people and political parties…Therefore, having another dialogue with him is futile." Abdel Aziz, a former general, took part in a 2005 coup and another in 2008, which saw him seize power in the impoverished desert country. He became the president of a transitional authority, from which he resigned to contest and win 2009 elections, a move condemned as a trick by the opposition. The document blasted the president and his government's running of the country's affairs. It concluded that he was a "dictator who exploited power to loot the country’s riches and make a fortune. He created a group of new businessmen of his associates, who took the wealth of the Mauritanian people and shared the deals of the state among themselves”. "He miserably failed in diplomacy and his external policy led to a threat against the security of the country and the killing of more than 30 soldiers in addition to dozens of injuries, plus the lack of security, incidents of terrorist attacks for the first time in the country’s history," it continued. "His intervention in the internal affairs of Mali and his wrong calculations were counterproductive and led to al-Qaeda and other movements taking over wide parts of southern Mali, declaring a state that has a border with Mauritania of more than 2300 kilometres in an unprecedented security challenge," the statement added. The document continued: “Mauritania is facing a catastrophic situation. People have major problems, like poverty, drought, high prices at a time the country has abandoned its responsibility and left the poor people alone, while the president was busy making money. The country lifted its subsidy off basic materials, fuel and did the same in the energy sector.” The document added: “All this takes place at a time the administrative sector experiences a total paralysis without competent leaders, while those in power were appointed on the basis of favouritism. All the powers are in the hands of the president and reducing budgets of ministries without considering the economy while corruption grows." "For Mauritania" said the departure of Ould Abdel Aziz had become a must, in order to spare the country potential chaos due to the abrupt vacuum of power. It said change was required in a peaceful manner despite what the document mentioned of brutal repression and the state's encroachment of human rights, which is repeated on a daily basis. "For Mauritania" had announced several months ago its opposition to the regime and considered the general situation unacceptable, calling for a radical change of the departure of the system. The organisation also played an important role in the struggle against the 2008 coup through which Abdel Aziz ceased power, until the signing of the Dakar agreement between the opposition and pro-government parties under supervised by former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade. The opposition says Abdel Aziz has failed to commit to the agreement terms.