Hundreds of people have marched for the rights of former slaves in Mauritania and to denounce injustice against them in the West African nation where slavery persists despite being officially abolished decades ago.

The march on Saturday in the capital Nouakchott marked the fourth anniversary of the founding of the Haratine Charter – a group calling for the rights of slaves and former slaves.

Despite being officially abolished in 1981, slavery is still deeply entrenched in the vast, largely desert nation where light-skinned Berber-Arab Moors enslaved local black populations after settling in Mauritania centuries ago. CONTINUES