U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania Larry André, Mrs. Larry André, and a Delegation from the American Embassy paid a visit to the historical city of Chinguetti (500 km north of Nouakchott) from January 3-5. They attended the opening ceremony of the 5th edition of the annual Cultural Festival of Ancient Cities in Mauritania, held on January 4. The ceremony was presided over by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and attended by many high rank officials, including the Ambassadors from France Qatar, China, Sudan and Japan. During his stay, Ambassador André visited the famous libraries of Chinguetti. He also visited an agricultural project initiated by the Agency Tadamoun that benefits 110 descendent of former slaves. He talked to the Mauritanian television journalists about the importance of the festival and on some other ongoing major issues in the country, such as, the ongoing trials of anti-slavery activists in Rosso and of the young man convicted of apostasy in Nouadhibou.
