Mauritania goes to the polls with a regional security crisis and economic concerns among the issues

Associated Press

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Nearly 2 million people go to the polls on Saturday in Mauritania. The vast desert nation in West Africa positions itself as a strategic ally of the West in a region swept by coups and violence. But the government has been denounced for rights abuses. President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is seeking a second term. He’s a former army chief and the current head of the African Union. He came to power in 2019 following the first democratic transition in the country’s history. Among his seven opponents is anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, leaders of several opposition parties and a neurosurgeon.