Brussels, 08/08/08: The Mauritanian women’s rights NGO l'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF), a partner organisation of the Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), has strongly condemned the coup d'état which took place in Mauritania on Wednesday 6 August in contempt of the democratic choices expressed by the people of Mauritania after a long period of dictatorship and instability.

The AFCF calls on all human rights organisations to reject the coup d’état and appeals to international institutions, notably the European Union, to use their influence to ensure that the constitutional government is restored in Mauritania.

AFCF:

• Demands a return to constitutional legality and the reinstatement of the democratically-elected president and his government;

• Calls on all human rights institutions, activists and personalities to resolutely reject this coup d'état and to defend Mauritania's democratic constitutional order; and

• Appeals to international institutions, notably the European Union, to use their influence to re-establish constitutionalism in Mauritania.

L'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF) is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to promote human rights and defend the rights of women and children. AFCF promotes the legal, social, and economic empowerment of women, especially those in rural locations. The organization advocates for the improvement of the 2001 Personal Status Law and strives to ensure that protections under the current law are accessible to women in Mauritania. AFCF supports the participation of female heads of households in action for social change through training activities and provides services to women in crisis situations. Since 2005 WLP and AFCF have been working together to expand skills-building and leadership training to enhance women's participation in decision-making in the family, community, and in politics.

http://www.learningpartnership.org/en/advocacy/alerts/mauritania0807