2011-01-17 Mauritanian man sets himself on fire [UPDATE: 1]

A Mauritanian man set himself on fire today in an anti-government protest.


Yacoub Ould Dahoud, 42, stopped his car in front of the Senate, which is several metres (feet) from the presidency in the capital, and set himself alight inside the vehicle, witnesses said.

He had called journalists to tell them he intended to carry out the act because he was 'unhappy with the political situation in the country and angry with the government.'

Police intervened and he was taken to hospital with burns to his face and hands, a hospital source said.

AllVoices writes "a man set himself on fire in front of the West African state's presidential palace. The man, described as a 40-year-old entrepreneur from a wealthy family, was protesting over alleged government mistreatment of his tribe, police sources said."

UPDATE 1:

Al Arabiya writes


In Mauritania, a young man with a graduate degree from France and who belongs to a wealthy family set himself on fire to protest against alleged government mistreatment of his tribe.

The family of Yacoub Ould Dahoud, 40, reportedly faced government abuse and was excluded from vital decision-making positions thought the country and from government deals with the country's tribes, according the Mauritanian's independent news agency Al-Khabar.

Dahoud's tribe demands that the government fulfill its commitments in a deal it had made with the tribe over a number health ministry posts, the agency added.

The tribe's business in agriculture and trade in marine appliances was also reportedly hard-hit by government policies.

Witnesses said Dahoud was shouting epithets against President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Earlier in Tunisia, 26-year-old Mohammed Bouazizi died from self inflicted burn wounds, in Algeria, at least four attempted public suicides were reported this week, and a man in Cairo set himself on fire today as well.

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