Warda Ahmed Souleymane, a journalist and member of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), was arrested on October 31, 2025, in Nouakchott by Mauritanian police.
Her arrest came shortly after she returned from Banjul, The Gambia, where she participated in the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), held from October 17 to 19, 2025. At the civil society forum, Warda Ahmed Souleymane reportedly made statements critical of the Mauritanian authorities.
According to local media and IRA, she was arrested in the early evening and initially taken to an undisclosed place of detention. Her arrest is linked to a Facebook post written in Arabic, in which she called for the peaceful mobilisation of citizens to protest against what she described as an oppressive and discriminatory system under President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
IRA noted that while Warda Ahmed Souleymane was arrested for calling for a demonstration, other individuals who issued similar or even more forcefully worded calls for street protests have not faced any legal consequences. On November 6, 2025, the West Nouakchott Prosecutor’s Office charged her with undermining state security and ordered her remand in custody at the anti-terrorism brigade.
This is not the first time Warda Ahmed Souleymane has been deprived of her liberty. She was previously arrested on April 1, 2025, and detained for an offence of opinion before being released on April 17, 2025. Her repeated arrests point to a pattern of targeted harassment against non-violent dissenting voices.
Her case forms part of a broader climate of repression against members of IRA and other critical voices in Mauritania. Earlier this year, Abdoulaye Ba and Ahmed Ould Samba, both members of IRA’s executive leadership, were also arrested. Another IRA activist, Youssouph Camara, a deputy mayor in Tevragh Zeina, remains in detention after reportedly refusing to issue a public apology to security officials.
These developments reflect an expanding use of judicial and security measures to restrict freedom of expression and shrink civic space in Mauritania. The Media Foundation for West Africa calls on the Mauritanian authorities to guarantee Warda Ahmed Souleymane’s right to legal defence in line with international standards and to proceed without delay with her release.
