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Anti-Slavery Advocate Boubacar Ould Messaoud Dies at 80

3/28/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Boubacar Ould Messaoud, a Mauritania anti-slavery advocate and SOS-Esclaves co-founder, died on March 12 at age 80.
He was a son of enslaved people and belonged to the Haratin ethnic group.
In 1995, he co-founded SOS-Esclaves to combat slavery and highlighted enslaved people, including a 14-year-old girl named Khaddama who was unpaid.
His work aimed to eradicate slavery in Mauritania, a country with a history of forced labor and exploitation.

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Story summary

Boubacar Ould Messaoud, a Mauritania anti-slavery advocate and SOS-Esclaves co-founder, died on March 12 at age 80.
He was a son of enslaved people and belonged to the Haratin ethnic group.
In 1995, he co-founded SOS-Esclaves to combat slavery and highlighted enslaved people, including a 14-year-old girl named Khaddama who was unpaid.
His work aimed to eradicate slavery in Mauritania, a country with a history of forced labor and exploitation.