South-eastern Mauritania Research Articles

The Tichitt Culture and the Malian Lakes Region

The Tichitt culture of the Ceramic Late Stone Age is known for its large settlement sites, built from dry stone walls. It is centered on the cliffs of southeastern Mauritania, but its links to the Middle Niger and the later urban developments there have long been a topic of research. This article adds a further piece of evidence linking the two regions. The available evidence for a set of stone-walled features is presented, around 300 sites of varying sizes and complexity. They lie on and around the sandstone massifs of the Malian Lakes Region. The evidence is so far tentative as no dating or material culture is available, but the sites are presented as a research priority for the future.

PhD Abstract

"Late Holocene cultural dynamics and trans-Saharan connections in southeastern Mauritania: a remote sensing approach." Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), p. 1

Memory, agency, and labor mobilization in the monumental funerary landscapes of southeastern Mauritania, West Africa

The archaeological record of southeastern Mauritania has considerable potential to contribute to longstanding anthropological debates in world prehistory, such as early cereal domestication or the emergence and organization of complex societies, although research remains limited. The archaeological study of funerary rites offers invaluable insights into cultural attitudes towards the dead and the socio-economic dynamics of the living. The materiality of remembrance is a political statement, rooted on the ability of different social agents to mobilize labor pools and networks of obligations within a given cultural framework. As such, understanding the spatial distribution and size variability in burial monuments within funerary landscapes provides insights into the social energetics of ancestor memorialization. To that end, this paper first presents a size-based classification system for pre-Islamic conical tumulus cairns in the highlands of southeastern Mauritania, West Africa, that has much wider applicability within prehistoric Saharan archaeology. Through the first application of Gini coefficients to the study of funerary landscapes, the paper then analyses the spatial distribution and degree of monument size variability within large, spatially bounded clusters (“tumulus fields”) in Dhar Tichitt in order to contextualize the socio-economic dynamics of labor mobilization at three previously undocumented tumulus fields in the western Tagant Plateau.

Spatial Organization and Socio-Economic Differentiation at the Dhar Tichitt Center of Dakhlet el Atrouss I (Southeastern Mauritania)

The emergence of socio-political differentiation is a core theme in world prehistory, and the West African archaeological record offers unique insights into the range of pathways towards increasing complexity and the origins of socio-economic inequalities. During the second half of the second millennium BC, the Tichitt-Oualata escarpments of southeastern Mauritania witnessed the development of societies with monumental funerary architecture and substantial drystone settlements that relied on an agropastoral economy based primarily on pearl millet (Pennisetum sp.) cultivation and livestock-raising. Previous spatial analyses of site size have shown that the Dhar Tichitt landscape exhibited a multi-tiered settlement hierarchy, with Dakhlet el Atrouss I (80 ha) as the main regional center, with almost 600 compounds forming an intricate layout and hundreds of funerary tumuli in the vicinity of the site. The limited presence of imported prestige goods, however, has sparked considerable controversy regarding the socio-political complexity of the community inhabiting the site. The aim of this article is to understand whether remote sensing and spatial analyses can inform us about the extent of socio-economic differentiation at Dakhlet el Atrouss I, the largest site ascribed to the Tichitt Tradition. On the basis of relevant ethnographies exploring the dynamics of household wealth in agropastoral economies, I explore the degree of compound size variation at the site and neighborhood levels using well-established econometric methods that increasingly feature in archaeological studies of inequality and socio-political complexity. This paper represents the first application of Lorenz Curves and Gini Coefficients in African prehistory and illustrates a considerable degree of spatial and socio-economic differentiation at Dakhlet el Atrouss I.

Memory, Agency, and Labour Mobilisation Asymmetries in the Funerary Landscapes of Southeastern Mauritania, West Africa

Memory, Agency, and Labour Mobilisation Asymmetries in the Funerary Landscapes of Southeastern Mauritania, West Africa

THE PHANTOM MENACE: FEAR, RUMOURS AND THE ELUSIVE PRESENCE OF AQIM IN SOUTHEASTERN MAURITANIA

Drawing on extended ethnographic fieldwork in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (between 2001 and 2012), this article investigates how the intensifying regional insecurity is perceived and (re)acted upon by people inhabiting the frontier provinces of south-eastern Mauritania. It is argued that armed insurgencies and the emergence of nebulous assemblages such as the AQIM (Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb), must be analysed as constitutive elements in a complex convergent crisis which is currently undermining local livelihoods in multiple ways. In Mauritania and much of the Saharan and Sahelian regions, crisis has become chronic, and while people exhibit tremendous capacities to anticipate the uncertain and navigate a disequilibrated natural and political environment in general, a new kind of protracted fear is spreading. This article establishes how the AQIM is enacted locally as a phantom menace, which asserts itself through a form of omnipresent fear, nurtured by an inherent opaqueness. As this fundamental fear progressively permeates the nomadic landscape, it engenders a recasting of mobile strategies among the nomadic pastoralist groups who inhabit the interstitial desert spaces.

Malaria epidemiology in Kobeni department, southeastern Mauritania from 2015 to 2017

BackgroundPlasmodium falciparum malaria is endemic in the southern sahelian zone of Mauritania where intense internal and trans-border human and livestock movement occurs. The risk of importation and spread of drug-resistant parasites need to be regularly assessed in this region. The objective of the study was to assess the recent malaria situation near the Mauritania-Mali border.MethodsBetween February 2015 and December 2017, patients with fever or history of fever during the previous 48 h, presenting at the health centre of Kobeni city, were screened for malaria using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and microscopic examination of blood smears. The diagnosis was later confirmed by PCR. Cohen’s kappa statistics was used to estimate the degree of agreement between diagnostic methods. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare proportions. The odds ratio was calculated to measure the association between the use of bed nets and malaria infection.ResultsA total of 2326 febrile patients (mean age, 20.2 years) were screened for malaria. The presence of malaria parasites was detected by RDT and microscopy in 53.0% and 49.3% of febrile patients, respectively, and was confirmed by PCR in 59.7% (45 missing data). Of 1361 PCR-positive samples, 1205 (88.5%) were P. falciparum, 47 (3.5%) P. vivax, and 99 (7.3%) P. falciparum-P. vivax mixed infection. Malaria transmission occurred mostly during and shortly after the rainy season. The annual rainfall was relatively low in 2016 (267 mm) and 2017 (274 mm), compared to 2015 (448 mm), and coincided with a decline in malaria prevalence in 2016–2017. Although 71.8% of febrile patients reported to possess at least one bed net in the household in our questionnaire, its reported use was not protective against malaria infection (odds ratio: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.91–1.32).ConclusionsOur study confirmed that P. falciparum is the dominant species in the sahelian zone and that malaria transmission is seasonal and associated with rainfall in this zone. The application of the current national policy based on rapid and reliable malaria diagnosis, case management with artemisinin-based combination therapy, intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women, distribution and use of long-lasting insecticide impregnated bed nets, and the planned introduction of seasonal malaria chemoprevention for all children under 6 years old is expected to sustainably reduce malaria transmission in this zone.

Hydrodynamics and Recharge of the Aioune Sandstone Aquifer in the Taoudenni Transboundary Basin in Mauritania

In Mauritanian, 4/5 of the territory is subject to an arid climate, where groundwater resources are the main sources of drinking water for populations and livestock. The study area is located in south-eastern Mauritania and in the western part of the Taoudenni Transboundary Basin. A better knowledge of the hydrogeological system to ensure a sustainable and rational management is necessary for this vulnerable water resource. This pioneering study, based on the compilation of hydrogeological, geochemical and isotopic data, aims to characterize the hydrodynamics and recharge of this one layer aquifer system, composed of Aioune infracambrian sandstone. The piezometric surface exhibits relatively the same morphology of the soil topography, and computed effective velocity is 94 m/yr (Northeast area), and the direction of flow is generally from cliff to plains area. The chemical data show water types evolving between two poles namely the HCO3-Ca/Mg pole (low mineralized), and the Cl-Ca/Na pole; these waters are characterized by a high vulnerability to pollution, especially at shallow depth area (Douerare, Aioune). The dissolution of bicarbonate and evaporate minerals is likely the main source of mineralization. The isotopic tool used to support comprehension of the system functioning, evidences a local indirect recharge water localized at the cliff or Wadi zones. The age of the waters ranges from the present to 1060 year. The recharge rate calculated by 14C and the chloride masse balance is respectively 0.4 to 5 mm/year. This recharge compared to the water pumping rate is lower and hence this imbalance is likely the cause of water shortages particularly during summer season period.

Tuberculosis among transhumant pastoralist and settled communities of south-eastern Mauritania

BackgroundTranshumant pastoralists of Mauritania were assumed to have a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) because of reduced access to diagnostic testing. No population-based survey on TB has been published for Mauritania.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence of presumptive TB cases among mobile pastoralists and villagers in a remote zone of Mauritania.DesignIn the south-eastern province of Hodh Ech Chargui, 250 adult pastoralists and 250 villagers were randomly enrolled using multistage cluster sampling in February 2012. A TB centre nurse examined participants using a standard clinical protocol, and a participant questionnaire was completed. Focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with community members and health personnel, respectively.ResultsFourteen new presumptive TB cases were identified, leading to an overall prevalence of 2.8%, (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5–4.7%). The prevalence was non-significantly higher among villagers than pastoralists (3.6% vs. 2.0%). Assuming illness duration was 3 years and all presumptive cases started treatment, an overall crude incidence of 933 cases/100,000 was derived. Five of six presumptive cases in Djiguenni were confirmed by sputum smear microscopy, but none out of eight presumptive cases were confirmed in Néma, although the same nurse performed all clinical examinations in both departments. This result was attributed to the use of expired reagents in Néma. Communities mentioned distance rather than lack of information as the main constraint to seeking diagnosis, but poor diagnostic centre performance also delayed decision-making.ConclusionsTB prevalences were high among both pastoralists and villagers. None of the 14 presumptive cases sought prior diagnostic testing. TB diagnostic centres in the remote rural study zone were poorly equipped. These centres must remain in operation to reduce TB incidence in vulnerable communities in insecure remote rural zones and to reach national health goals.

Coring Lake Fati and Settlement Archaeology of the Middle Niger Lakes Region

A two-part archaeological and limnological study of the Malian Lakes Region has revealed the high research potential of the region. The exploratory reconnaissance of the Gorbi Valley, on the eastern edge of Lake Fati, identified, mapped and sampled eight new sites. The results of the survey suggest a long duration occupation of the Gorbi Valley, as well as possible connections with the populations of the Inland Niger Delta and southeastern Mauritania. The Lake Fati core represents the first lake sediment core from the western Sahel. This 5.4 m sediment core contains a continuous record of lake mud from 10.43 to 4.66 kyr BP. Analysis of the core reveals that Al and Si abundances are decoupled following a deposition of 16 cm of sand at 4.5 ka BP, with Al decreasing and Si increasing rapidly. This period of sand deposition is significantly younger than that of the transition at 5.5 ka BP recorded in marine cores from ODP site 658, taken off the Mauritanian coast, potentially extending the timeframe in which dune systems were stable and lake systems were at their highstand. While highlighting the need for more localized climate chronologies and archaeological investigations, this study may shed light on circumstances surrounding the initial colonization and further development of the Lakes Region.

West African Monsoon 2012

Living up to its reputation as a highly variable climate system, the West African Monsoon (WAM) 2012 contrasted strikingly with the previous year. In 2011, the West African rainy season was delayed, patchy, and irregular. In 2012, whilst it was anomalously wet in many area, the Guinea coastal countries and some crucial agricultural regions remained very dry, persisting from the previous year. As a result, 2012 generated the third big food crisis to hit the region in the last seven years. The 2012 WAM forecast, observed climate conditions and the ongoing socio-economic implications for the region are reviewed here.

Dhar Néma: from early agriculture to metallurgy in southeastern Mauritania

Dhar Néma, easternmost of the Tichitt escarpment chain, was neglected by archaeologists throughout the twentieth century. However, since 2000, two separate archaeological teams have conducted survey and test excavation work in the region. This article presents the final research results of one of these teams. Two sites in particular are closely examined: the settlement mound of Djiganyai with stratified intermittent occupation between c. 2000 and 800 cal. BC, and the multi-component site of Bou Khzama II, featuring structural elements, inhumations, and large scale iron-smelting remains. It is argued that Dhar Néma, although an ecologically favourable zone, was politically peripheral to the central Tichitt-Walata polity and comparatively sparsely settled. A period of relative regional abandonment, or widespread shifts in settlement, between 1400 and 1100 cal. BC is also noted. Regardless, a range of Pre-Tichitt and Tichitt Tradition settlements are documented for the region, including evidence for millet agriculture equivalent in age to that of the Dhar Tichitt region. It is suggested that the origins of Tichitt agriculture must now be sought in the third millennium BC. Concerning more recent periods, putative new data for first millennium BC iron metallurgy in the Dhar Néma region are presented and their technical aspects analysed. Finally, a revised hypothesis for the role of incoming Berber populations in the denouement of the Tichitt Tradition is considered, with cultural syncretism rather than replacement advocated.

Mosquito vectors of the 1998–1999 outbreak of Rift Valley Fever and other arboviruses (Bagaza, Sanar, Wesselsbron and West Nile) in Mauritania and Senegal

Following an outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in south-eastern Mauritania during 1998, entomological investigations were conducted for 2 years in the affected parts of Senegal and Mauritania, spanning the Sénégal River basin. A total of 92 787 mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), belonging to 10 genera and 41 species, were captured in light traps. In Senegal, Culex poicilipes (41%) and Mansonia uniformis (39%) were the most abundant species caught, whereas Aedes vexans (77%) and Cx. poicilipes (15%) predominated in Mauritania. RVF virus was isolated from 63 pools of Cx. poicilipes: 36 from Senegal in 1998 and 27 from Mauritania in 1999. These results are the first field evidence of Cx. poicilipes naturally infected with RVFV, and the first isolations of this virus from mosquitoes in Mauritania - the main West African epidemic and epizootic area. Additional arbovirus isolates comprised 25 strains of Bagaza (BAG) from Aedes fowleri, Culex neavei and Cx. poicilipes; 67 Sanar (ArD 66707) from Cx. poicilipes; 51 Wesselsbron (WSL) from Ae. vexans and 30 strains of West Nile (WN) from Ma. uniformis, showing differential specific virus-vector associations in the circulation activity of these five arboviruses.

Corrigenda

For the article Rediscovery of relict populations of the Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus (Laurehti, 1768) in south-eastern Mauritania, with observations on their natural history by Tara Shine, Wolfgang Bohme, Hemmo Nickel, Dirk Thies and Thomas Wilms in Oryx 35(3), 260–262, the following corrigenda apply: (1) correspondence may be addressed to both Tara Shine and Wolfgang Bohme, and the former's current address is School of Environmental Studies, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Derry, BT52 ISA, Northern Ireland, UK, E-mail: tm.shine@ulst.ac.uk, (2) the photograph of Plate 1 is of a tamourt, as correctly stated in the legend but as incorrectly given as a guelta in the text on p. 261, and is to be credited to Tara Shine, and (3) the Biographical Sketches should be prefixed with Tara Shine is a PhD student at the University of Ulster, where she is completing her research on ephemeral wetlands in eastern Mauritania, in which country she worked for Project GIRNEM, a natural resource management project of the GTZ (German Technical Co-operation)'.

Rediscovery of relict populations of the Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus in south-eastern Mauritania, with observations on their natural history

AbstractIn 1998 and 1999, relict populations of the Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus were rediscovered in south-eastern Mauritania, 70 years after the last reports of their existence and 6 years after the IUCN Species Survival Commission listed them as extirpated in that country. Crocodiles' were found in four different types of wetlands, herein described. Preliminary observations on their natural history and their interactions with humans are provided, and the main threats and the prerequisites for their protection are discussed.

Rediscovery of relict populations of the Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus in south-eastern Mauritania, with observations on their natural history

In 1998 and 1999, relict populations of the Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus were rediscovered in south-eastern Mauritania, 70 years after the last reports of their existence and 6 years after the IUCN Species Survival Commission listed them as extirpated in that country. Crocodiles' were found in four different types of wetlands, herein described. Preliminary observations on their natural history and their interactions with humans are provided, and the main threats and the prerequisites for their protection are discussed.

First isolation of the Rift Valley fever virus from Culex poicilipes (Diptera: Culicidae) in nature.

Following the reemergence of Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus in southeastern Mauritania in 1998, an entomological survey was undertaken in the boundary area in Senegal to assess the extent of the virus circulation. During this study, RVF virus (36 strains) was isolated for the first time from Culex poicilipes in nature. The possible role of Cx. poicilipes as an RVF vector is discussed regarding its biology and ecology.

Nouvelles recherches, objectifs et premiers résultats sur le paléoenvironnement holocène des sites archéologiques de la région des Dhars Tichitt et Oualata (Mauritanie sud-orientale)

ABSTRACT Alain Person, Nour E. Saoudi, Sylvie Amblard The preliminary results of a field campaign performed in January-February 1994 on the environment of the archaeological settlements in the Dhars Tichitt and Oualata region (South-eastern Mauritania) are presented here from a methodological point of view. The sedimentary faciès are interpreted mainly in terms of climatic changes linked to the human settlements. It seems that the most important phase of peopling is not correlated to a climatic optimum. On the contrary, this phase is contemporaneous to the most precarious period. Indeed, at this time, the exceptional morphological features of the Dhars offered a refuge area in the Southern Sahara between 2,500 and 3,500 B.P.

Terrestrial or waterlain glacial diamictites? Three case studies from the late Precambrian and late Ordovician glacial drifts in West Africa

Three examples of extensive diamictites within glacial sequences well exposed in the sedimentary cover of the West African cratonic platform are described. They belong to the Late Precambrian and Upper Ordovician glacial periods and the paleogeography is summarized. The Late Precambrian diamictites of the Jbeliat Group in Adrar of Mauritania displays characteristics of tillite deposited as lodgement or melt-out till, Detail studies on structure, clast shape nature and fabric, texture in thin section, clay mineralogy and carbonate content are given and discussed in order to delimitate useful criteria for tillite identification. Compared to this first example, the two other diamictites from the Late Precambrian Bakoye Group in western Mali and from the Upper Ordovician Tichit Group in southeastern Mauritania have obviously been deposited in an aquatic environment (waterlain glacial diamictites) by the action of ice-rafting, bottom current, and flow processes. These examples show that for such ancient deposits sedimentological interpretations are partly solved by broad scale stratigraphical relationships. However, detailed sedimentological analyses remain essential for precise facies identification. Especially structural and petrographic studies must be encouraged in the lights of modern glaciodynamic processes.

Subsistence patterns of the Dhar Tichitt Neolithic, Mauritania

This paper examines the dynamics of the Neolithic occupation of the Dhar Tichitt region, southeastern Mauritania. On the basis of certain ecological constants, the growth cycle of plants, animal behaviour and patterns of settlement, the Dhar Tichitt Neolithic system appears to have been scheduled according to the seasonal availability of the most critical resource: water.