Mauritania Loosens Islamic Law

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"Without free political activity, Mauritania will always be a dictatorship and stability will remain elusive," said Abdoulaye Kebe, the only black opposition member of Parliament.

Anger in the Moor community is also strong. In October the regime banned the opposition Union of Democratic Forces and arrested its leader, Ahmed Ould Daddah, two months later on suspicion of meeting with terrorist groups abroad. Daddah, whose party denies extremist links, was subsequently released and has not been charged.

Truckloads of surly soldiers patrol the windblown streets of the coastal capital, Nouakchott, as part of government efforts to quell street protests. During the Gulf War, Ould Taya backed Saddam in return for Iraqi military and financial aid. But the two governments cut ties several years later after exchanging accusations of supporting dissidents in each others' countries. Mauritania has subsequently focused its efforts on improving Western links. Mauritania and Israel established full diplomatic ties in October 1999, sparking street protests by Islamic groups in Mauritania in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Mauritania's government refuses to discuss the issue, yet a member of the ruling party's national council indicated that their friendship with Israel was necessary to attract international investment to Mauritania, among the world's 30 poorest nations.

"We still cry when we see a Palestinian child killed by the Israeli army. But we also have to look out for our (economic) interests," the official said. "We understand that to achieve these goals we have to pay a high (political) price."

Some fear that price includes terrorism. Mauritanian officials whisper suspicions that dissident groups at home and abroad could be planning attacks similar to those by Islamic fundamentalists in neighboring Algeria, where fighting has killed more than 100,000 people since 1992.

In January, authorities in Nouakchott detained a Mauritanian man, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, for three weeks in connection with an alleged bomb plot against targets in the United States. Ould Slahi, who had been living in Canada, was released without charge after three weeks of questioning.

Critics dismiss the government's terrorism fears as an excuse to suppress dissidents. So far, however, Mauritania has not experienced violence beyond the regular opposition protests that occasionally degenerate into street clashes with police.

Three students arrested in November for allegedly painting graffiti threatening "death to Ould Taya" embarked on a prison hunger strike, which since ended, to win support for their cause and highlight their complaints of mistreatment by authorities.

The government crackdown has merely strengthened public opposition to the regime, said Ahmed Ould Lafdal, a senior official of Ould Daddah's banned opposition Union of Democratic Forces.

"We have never killed a person, never burned a market or car," said Ould Lafdal. "We have never called for a violent uprising, yet the regime bans our party and arrests us for being a threat to the country."