Slavery in modern Africa must not be put under a taboo!

Facing the beginning of the UN World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa, Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) / Society for Threatened Peoples accused African states of hypocrisy concerning the question of slavery on Thursday. Demanding an excuse for slave trade during colonialism would first require to stop ignoring slavery in modern Africa. "The African states will loose their credibility regarding the question of slavery if they continue to shut their eyes to the destiny of tens of thousands of slaves in Sudan, Mauretania and Ivory Coast," said Ulrich Delius of the African desk at GfbV. "Putting slavery in today's Africa under a taboo exclusively serves the inhumane policy of countries tolerating and supporting these crimes against humanity."

In spite of numerous reports by international human rights and relief organizations the governments of Sudan, Mauretania and Ivory Coast insistently deny the continuity of slavery. Even though in August 01 a representative of the Sudanese government admitted in a subcommittee of the UN commission on human rights that thousands of women and children had been abducted in the hard-fought regions in the South of Sudan, the Sudanese government still vehemently disclaims the accusation of slavery. "Based on the information available to us, the number of slaves that have been registered in the South of Sudan by relief organizations is at least as high as 54.000," Delius reported. Furthermore it is very likely that there are tens of thousands of slaves in the North of Sudan as well. They have been kidnapped by paramilitary troops armed by the Sudanese military. Slavery is used as an instrument of warfare in Sudan, with the objective of terrorizing the civil population.

In Mauretania, 21 years after the official abolishment of slavery, tens of thousands still have to live in slavery. In rural areas women and children have to stay with their former "Masters", while there is no choice for men but to look for work in the cities. "The women engaged in the fields or domestic work can't flee, because they don't want to abandon their children," said the human rights activist. People publicly criticizing slavery in Mauretania have to face imprisonment.

In the Ivory Coast slavery is a taboo, too. About 15.000 children from Mali have been sold to Ivory Coast to work on plantations. Children as young as eleven years have to work or alternatively suffer from imprisonment and beatings conducted by their "owners".