Mauritania’s post-independence period has been marked by ethnic tensions within its diverse and highly stratified society. Mauritania declared independence in 1960. Discrimination against marginalized groups—particularly women, refugees, the stateless, and slavery survivors—was entrenched, both within the courts and other state institutions, and within society more generally. This means that civil society organizations (CSOs) serving the marginalized are fragmented and often lack the capacity to adopt coordinated responses to issues of marginalization. Civil society segmentation hampers effective advocacy for the rights of marginalized groups and the provision of coordinated, comprehensive services that address the legal, economic, medical, social and other needs of marginalized populations. In 2007, Mauritania held its first democratic presidential elections since independence.
From 2014-2019, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) implemented a program in partnership with Search for Common Ground to promote the social and political rights of marginalized groups and to expand their public and political participation in Mauritania. ABA ROLI partnered with local CSOs to adopt coordinated legal and advocacy responses marginalization.