Mali… Dimensions of the recent coup attempt amid the international conflict over the Sahel

In recent weeks, there has been much confusion about the water outage in the capital Nouakchott. Some said the government’s performance in facing this recurring crisis and others resembles repeated mistakes akin to mixing water with water…

If the authors of this article had considered the expansion of drinking water service to neighborhoods whose pipes have not been wet for years in “Melh”, “Arafat”, and “Beyond Madrid” in recent months, they would have moved beyond the childish logic that says “your vessels are capable.” If they had appreciated the large pipes rushing to the capital from Lake Adini, and the complex equipment installed on the river to filter silt for the first time in the coastal Aftout project, they would have known that this government is working on structural solutions to the water problem in a city growing astronomically, just as work was done to irrigate vast neighborhoods in Nouadhibou by expanding Lake Boulenwar recently.

Dozens of villages in eastern Aftout from “Qum to Kilete” are also being served, and fieldwork is underway to finalize the irrigation pipes for the city of Kiffa from the Senegal River, a long-awaited dream.

A fair look at the pace of government work in the first year of the second term of His Excellency the President confirms that we are witnessing a mandate of reconstruction and achievement, after the first term was a mandate of fortification and solidarity in facing global crises marked by the pandemic, inflation, and regional political and security turmoil.

No one but a stubborn person would argue that Nouakchott has witnessed tangible achievements in bridges and paved roads in recent months, and that it has managed to breathe relief from chronic traffic congestion. The large numbers of teachers being recruited in various education sectors and the classrooms being built here and there testify that the Republic School project is indeed the project of the century for this country. It is at the heart of the great ambitions outlined by His Excellency the President, and the government strives to win its big bet.

I will not repeat talking about bringing health services closer to thousands of poor families through health insurance, but extending this insurance for the first time to include the nation’s youth from thousands of higher education students, and making it a priority for parents to enroll after a long delay, are qualitative steps matched only by the determined effort to control the drug trade, which appears to be a fierce battle that must be won regardless of the sacrifices.

The excellent performance of a group of Mauritanian engineers, both men and women, enabled smart adaptation to the digital age, so Mauritanian applications have become a model to follow worldwide. The “Citizen’s Eye” application that monitors government performance does not miss any small or large detail, and applications like “My Identity” and “My Contracts” ensure the public’s access to their rights without much difficulty.

I will not repeat talking about economic indicators, nor programs promising fish canning factories, massive energy projects, achieving self-sufficiency in rice and vegetables, nor about steel factories, green hydrogen, sugar industry, or achievements in dialogue, culture, and media. What has been achieved is significant compared to the challenges, but a drop in the ocean compared to the ambitions of the President for a nation that wants to win globalization as ancestors won the bet on knowledge riding camels.

The Nouakchott modernization project, whose workshops are visible in every corner, and the broad consultation including citizens to involve everyone in generalizing basic services across all provinces of the country, are evidence that the wheel of development has started turning despite the noise of detractors.

His Excellency the President does not reject constructive criticism; he is the first to dare to say it openly and in front of everyone. How could he reject opinion when he is the first president in the country’s history to have expanded the historical opposition’s media and pens with his wisdom and tact, so their response strengthens and supports the nation amid waves of sedition and political and security turmoil shaking the political elites in the region?

Yes, there is a big difference between those who love advisors and those whose habit is to spread falsehood and lies. Do nations fall into the hell of sedition except as a result of bad deeds and spreading immorality among the believers?!

The President has explicitly said that this country is poor and needs everyone’s participation to achieve a deep societal transformation. Official statistical indicators say that a third of Mauritanians are still shackled by poverty and illiteracy, but the only safe path for the nation is to prioritize development discourse over political bickering and establish structural projects that transform this people from a consumer nation to people armed with knowledge capable of production…

Lighting a candle is better than cursing the darkness, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step…

I would not be exaggerating if I said we have made important steps that need constructive criticism instead of destructive rejection, encouragement and guidance instead of belittling and exile…

And whoever says people are lost is the one who destroys them…