Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

the terrorists received the death penalty, the government had appealed the other two
original sentences, which it considered too lenient, seeking 30 years for the defendant
who had received a 12-year sentence and 15 years for the defendant previously sentenced
to three years. On September 27, the authorities released one of the defendants, Mohamed
Ould Ghadda, after he completed his three-year prison sentence.
In November, local and international media reported that Mauritania’s security services
arrested a French national in Nema (1200 kilometers southeast of Nouakchott) suspected
of attempting to engage in terrorist activity in Timbuktu.
Countering Terrorist Finance: Mauritania is a member of the Middle East and North Africa
Financial Action Task Force, a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body, and has
observer status with the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West
Africa. Mauritania’s Financial Intelligence Unit, known by its French acronym CANIF,
collaborated with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime on anti-money laundering/combating the
financing of terrorism training. Although there is legislation regulating alternative remittances,
Mauritania did not have the resources to monitor the sizable flow of funds through money and
value transfer systems, most notably hawala, nor did the government consider it a priority. For
further information on money laundering and financial crimes, we refer you to the 2013
International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and
Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.
Regional and International Cooperation: Mauritania continued its strong engagement with
international and regional partners, taking a leadership role in multilateral fora, particularly the
5+5 Initiative, and facilitated greater cooperation on security issues through regional meetings in
Nouakchott. On February 18, the Arab Maghreb Union, which consists of Mauritania, Algeria,
Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya, selected Mauritania as co-president of the foreign affairs
committee of the 5+5 Initiative focused on regional security challenges for countries in the
Mediterranean (Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and
Malta). Mauritania’s Defense Minister Ahmedou Ould Mohamed Radhi called for an end to
paying ransoms for hostages at a 2011 meeting of 5+5 Defense Ministers. President Aziz
attended the 5+5 October 4, 2012 conference for heads of state in Malta.
On January 23 and April 8, the Foreign Ministers of the field countries, known as the pays du
champ (Mauritania, Algeria, Mali, and Niger), met in Nouakchott to discuss regional responses
to the instability in Mali. On July 11, the chiefs of staff of the armed forces of these countries
represented in the Committee of Joint Operational Staff gathered in Nouakchott to focus on the
terrorist threat in northern Mali.
Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism: The Government of Mauritania continued
to collaborate with independent Muslim religious organizations to promote moderation and to
counter violent extremism. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Traditional Education and the
International Wasatiyya (Centrist) Forum co-sponsored a January conference on “Reformist
Thought and Banishment of Violent Discourse.” In March and April, the Ministry of Islamic
Affairs and Traditional Education organized a series of training seminars for 170 imams across
the country, in cooperation with the independent Union of Imams group. The training focused on
Islam’s role in society, the danger of violent Islamist extremism, and the unity of rite in a
harmonious society.
24