Ibrahima Moctar Sarr ( Serer: Ibrayma Muxtaar Saar; ;

Pulaar Pulaar (in Latin script, Latin: , in Ajami script, Ajami: ), often referred to as Pulaar du Nord, is dialect of the Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula people, Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley ar ...

: Ibrahima Muktar Saar; born in 1949) is a Mauritanian

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

of Serer origin. His surname Sarr, being one of the classic Serer patronyms. Running as an independent candidate, he placed fifth in the March 2007 presidential election, and he has been the President of the

Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal The Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal (, AJD/MR; ) is a small political party in Mauritania. It represents the black minority population of the south of the country, centered on the Senegal River valley, and was formed and wa ...

(AJD/MR) party from August 2007 until January 2024. After studying in Cesti,

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, Sarr trained as a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

before working in

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

. He became politically active in 1972, being a co-founder member of the Mauritanian Workers Party. Increasingly active as a

, he appeared regularly on radio and television. In 1983 he was a co-founder of the

African Liberation Forces of Mauritania The African Liberation Forces of Mauritania (; abbreviated ) was an illegal and exiled paramilitary organization for Black natives and inhabitants of Mauritania. Foundation FLAM was founded in 1983 (co-founded by Ibrahima Moctar Sarr) as t ...

(ex-FLAM; ''Force pour la Liberation Africaine de Mauritanie''), and in 1986 he was a communication specialist with FLAM when they published the second edition of the ''

Manifesto of the oppressed black Mauritanian The ''Manifesto of the Oppressed Black Mauritanian'' () was published in April 1986, by the African Liberation Forces of Mauritania (ex-FLAM) a paramilitary group which promoted the rights of the oppressed Black African alleged "majority" by A ...

.'' Following this

anti-racist Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and delibera ...

publication, which highlighted alleged "racial practices" by the Mauritanian Government, many black leaders were arrested and thrown to jail. Ibrahima Moctar Sarr was sentenced to four years in jail. In 1989, after being released from jail, Sarr left and resigned from FLAM and ceased all his political activities until the democratization process was started in 1992 by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya Mu'awiya Ould Sid'Ahmed al-Taya (born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the President of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. He also served as the fifth Prime minister of Mauritania from 1981 to 19 ...

. Sarr then joined the Popular Progressive Alliance (APP) under

Messaoud Ould Boulkheir Messaoud Ould Boulkheir (; born 1943) is a political figure from Mauritania and a leader in the Haratine community. Messaoud also contributed towards the end of the 1989 events in Mauritania, protecting the right of the victims and the emancipa ...

, becoming a leading member of the party. He later left the APP.Birome Guèye
"IBRAHIMA SARR, LEADER DE l’AJD/MR : En quête d’ouverture"
Africanglobalnews.com, August 24, 2007 . Sarr stood in the March 2007 presidential election on an anti-racist platform. In order to facilitate his candidacy, he founded the "Movement for National Reconciliation", although he stood as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

. Claiming that "I am the candidate of the oppressed", he called for equal rights for

, Soninké and

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

people alongside

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

, and the return of Mauritanian

refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

from

. Sarr came in fifth place with 7.95% of the vote in the election, and he backed

Ahmed Ould Daddah Ahmed Ould Daddah (, born 7 August 1942Marwane ben Yahmed"Les vérités d’Ahmed Ould Daddah", '' Jeuneafrique.com'', February 18, 2007 .) is a Mauritanian economist and a politician. He is a half-brother of Moktar Ould Daddah, the first Pres ...

for the second round. Sarr's Movement for National Reconciliation subsequently merged with the Alliance for Justice and Democracy (AJD), and at an extraordinary congress to ratify the merger on August 18–19, Sarr was elected as the leader of the new party, the AJD/MR. Sarr said on May 10, 2008, that the AJD/MR would not participate in the government of Prime Minister

Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef (; born 1960
as Prime Minister, Agence Mauritanienne d'Information. Retrieved 6 July 2008 .) is ...

due to many policy differences. Following the August 2008 military coup, Sarr and the AJD/MR expressed support for the military junta, and Sarr announced on April 11, 2009, that he would be a candidate in the controversial June 2009 presidential election, which was being organized by the junta and which opposition parties were planning to boycott. Sarr then said that "the conditions are there for a free poll" and that

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

did not have democracy under Abdallahi's presidency. The Constitutional Court approved four candidacies, including Sarr's, on April 28.

References

Ibrahima SARR, candidat indépendant : 'Ma candidature est celle des opprimés'
", Walfadjri
Ibrahima Sarr
BBCAfrique.com

External links

*
Official Webpage of FLAM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarr, Ibrahima Moctar 1949 births Living people Mauritanian journalists Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal politicians Serer journalists Serer politicians