Mauritanian opposition demand refugee rights

Mauritania’s Union of the Forces of Progress has accused the country’s President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz of violating the rights of Gambian refugees. The party, led by opposition figure Mohammed Ould Mouloud, criticised authorities after government troops expelled Gambian refugees from their lands, in accordance with an anti-immigration agreement signed with Spain. The Union demanded an improvement in conditions for incoming refugees, criticising their “cruel treatment.” Around 40 Gambians were flown into Nouakchott on a Spanish aeroplane on Thursday evening after allegedly entering the country illegally.