SUMMARY
The conflict between Mauritanian and Senegalese originate from a land dispute on the border between the two countries. Prior to the outbreak of violence there were racial tensions. Mauritania was, as a number of its neighbors, tainted with racial inequality: there was a significant north/south divide in the country and several villages along the southern Senegal River, demarcating the two countries, was subject to discrimination. On several occasions villages inhabited by black Mauritanians living close to, or on the border, were evacuated by the authorities, the inhabitants stripped of their identification and deported to Senegal or Mali. This discrimination of the southern population of Mauretania was commonplace and created an uneasy situation tainted with racial tension.
More than 300 000 Mauritanian, many of them small traders, lived in Senegal, while approximately 30 000 Senegalese, mostly seasonal workers, lived in Mauritania at the time of the conflict. As the ethnic tension exploded the Senegalese, as well as the Mauritanian were made targets, based on their nationality and ethnicity.
The land conflict was centered on the issue of grazing rights for cattle; both the Mauritanian cattle herders and their Senegalese counterparts claimed the same grazing grounds for their cattle. The initial clashes, on 9 April 1989 left two Senegalese farmers dead; this would prove to be the starting point for a spiral of violence that would continue throughout April.
When word of the border dispute reached the capitals of the respective countries there was widespread unrest and ethnic violence. This was especially problematic since a large number of Mauritanians were living in Senegal and vice versa. The light-skinned Mauritanians of Moor descent were easily identified in Senegal, as were the dark-skinned Senegalese in Mauritania.
The situation in both capitals soon became tumultuous with riots and looting taking place. The violence in the capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott, was best described as riots targeting the Senegalese population. The situation was reversed in Senegal were Mauritanians were targeted, their shops burned and looted and over thirty Mauritanians were killed. The situation was dire in both capitals: fatalities were reported and eyewitness accounts of people being chased, clubbed and hacked to death were given in both cities. In both capitals the immigrant population was forced to evacuate to Mosques or embassies in order to ensure their safety.
During a few days in April 1989 over one hundred people were killed in rioting and clashes in the capitals of Mauritania and Senegal respectively.
While the violence was mostly confined to the capitals of the two countries the incident that sparked the violence took place on the border between the two countries. Following the month of violence the Mauritanian/Senegalese border was closed. Because of the ethnic tensions there was an exodus of Senegalese from Mauritania, as a large number of Senegalese migrants were forced out of the country. This harsh treatment was however not limited to the Senegalese population in Mauritania, a large portion of the Halpulaar ethnic group residing within Mauritania was expelled as well. The Halpulaar ethnic group was of a darker skin complexion and resided in the southern parts of Mauritania, these features lead to them being expelled from their own country. The border remained closed until 1992. When it reopened, repatriation began, albeit slowly.
The non-state conflict between Mauritanian and Senegalese is first included in UCDP data in 1989. In April that year, clashes resulted in more than 160 battle-related deaths.
