African residents: We live in perfect harmony with society and call for respect for residency procedures

“I testify that I found myself in this city, the city of history, present and future”, with these words, Senegalese resident Mokhtar Syn, head of the Senegalese community in Atar, received me on Monday morning at his home in the neighborhood of “Mbarka wa Emaara” in the province of Atar during a press interview in which he spoke about the importance of activating the conditions of residence and the need to respect the regulatory and legal procedures of the state.
With an insight of a septuagenarian man nodding his head to his wife, Mrs. Fatima Nasireddine from Rosso, Atrarza, sitting on an iron chair, shaded by a simple arish, surrounded by stone houses in a calm scene, my host answers the content of his attachment to the place.
“I settled in the city of Atar in 1995, a few years after my marriage, where I had two sons and three daughters, who were born, praise be to God, in this city, grew up in it and were raised on tolerant Islamic values, and married in it, and had good offspring, and I became a grandfather, thanks to God and praise be to Him.”

Mokhtar, nicknamed “Anjakeh”, is known to the people of the state for his high professionalism and unique skills in the field of car electrical repair, as his workshop was and still is a destination for all those looking for mastery and advice at work. Angacke trained dozens of technicians from the province, including his eldest son, who later ascended to the throne of this profession, after his father suffered a health ailment that prompted him to give up work after a career full of giving, activity and vitality. According to the estimates of the head of the community, the number of its members residing in the city of Atar ranges from 50 to 60 people, living in complete harmony with the indigenous people, sharing with them the blessing of security and stability in light of an open societal culture imbued with the teachings of the true Islamic religion that respects the privacy of others and preserves their status under a legal and moral system that protects everyone who has the right to his right.

With regard to Mauritanian-Senegalese relations, Njaka was proud of them, expressing his hope that they will develop and flourish more and more in the common interest of the two peoples, noting that he did not notice any harassment throughout his stay in this beautiful tourist city, neither at the level of his professional relations, nor at the level of his social relations with the inhabitants of the state.
Mamadou Keita, a representative of the Malian community in the province of Atar, confirmed that the number of the community in the city ranges from 70 to 80 residents, who practice professions including the profession of selling iron (Freire), dyeing and domestic service.
He added that he came to the city of Atar in 2006 and settled there after marrying Aicha Sima, from the province of Adrar, where she bore him three children, Mohamed, Hussein and Fatima, who carry Mauritanian identity papers.

He explained that his eldest son, Mohammed, who is eight years old, is studying in the third section of primary school No. 7 in the Ambaraka neighborhood and is accompanied by his brother Al-Hussein, who is studying in kindergarten at the same institution.
The representative of the Malian community praised the level of brotherly and diplomatic relations between the two brotherly countries, stressing that he never felt a sense of alienation due to the openness and love of the good of the residents of the state.
He pointed out that the Mauritanian people and the Malian people have historical relations, which have been strengthened thanks to the unity of the Islamic religion, the unity of common cultural and social values, the unity of economic interests and the dictates of the nature of the development challenges of the two brotherly neighbours.
The representative of the Malian community expressed his satisfaction with the regulatory measures adopted by the Mauritanian government, calling for the need to facilitate the renewal of residency for members of his community.
“We have communicated with the local administrative authorities and briefed them on our situation, the conditions of our residence, the nature of our work and the services we provide,” he said, adding that they have become an integral part of the social fabric of society, and feel a shared responsibility to preserve its sovereignty, security and stability.