About CASMAS











      The Coalition Against Slavery in Mauritania and Sudan (CASMAS) is a 
human
      rights, abolitionist movement started by activists from Mauritania, 
Sudan
      and the United States on March 5, 1995. The mission of CASMAS is to 
bring
      together abolitionists/human rights groups from Mauritania, South 
Sudan
      and North America to collectively fight for the eradication of
      institutionalized and chattel slavery and other forms of human rights
      violations in Africa, especially in Mauritania and Sudan.
      CASMAS has as its objectives:
            To campaign and mobilize national and international support to 
stop
            Arab enslavement of Africans in Sudan and Mauritania.
            To generate and disseminate information about institutionalized 
and
            chattel slavery and the gross human rights abuses in Sudan and
            Mauritania.
            To stimulate America, especially African American, interest and
            involvement in the struggle to end Arab slavery in Sudan and
            Mauritania.
            To address misinformation, misrepresentation and 
misinterpretation
            of the nature and existence of slavery, genocide and other forms 
of
            human rights violations occurring in the Sudan and Mauritania.
            To foster mutual cooperation among Sudanese, Mauritanians, 
Americans
            and other human rights activists in the effort to eradicate Arab
            slavery in the two African nations of Sudan and Mauritania.
            To cooperate with individuals, organizations and governments 
whose
            agenda is to bring to an end human bondage in Mauritania and 
Sudan.
            To facilitate research and to provide for discussion of  slavery 
in
            Africa, especially in Mauritania and Sudan.


      CASMAS has worked consistently to realize these objectives through 
both
      political and practical means. The irrefutable documentation of 
slavery in
      Mauritania resulted when the executive director of CASMAS, Samuel 
Cotton,
      went undercover into Mauritania for 28 days, interviewing Africans who 
had
      escaped from slavery, whose families had been enslaved, and whose 
lives
      have been defined by a constant struggle against the harsh human 
rights
      violations rampant there. In addition, CASMAS delivered over a ton of
      clothing to refugees as a result of a successful campaign to galvanize
      material support from the US.
      A national summit emerged in October of 1996 as a result of CASMAS,
      efforts to coordinate the resistance efforts of abolitionist groups 
across
      the United States in this struggle; the resulting body formed is the
      Abolitionist Leadership Council. And CASMAS dedicates much time and 
energy
      into constant information-awareness campaigns across the country, from
      teach-ins to radio-interviews to national and international television
      appearances. Currently, CASMAS is working on a vital project to 
deliver
      desperately needed food and medicines into Sudan and Mauritania.
      CASMAS held a second, international summit in New York City in October 
of
      1997 to plan the groundwork for implementing a freedpersons bureau in
      Mauritania and for developing concrete means of self-sufficiency.  
This
      historic conference included attendees from France, Mauritania and
      throughout the US.
      CASMAS is committed to the goal of ending the enslavement of Africans 
in
      these countries and aiding the creation of self-determination and
      independence.  We are closer to this goal than ever before, but, as 
much
      remains to be done, we are continuing to develop a critical response 
to
      this great tragedy.



