Answers to questions that I have received

1. There are still reports of locust infestations in the northwest, which is where you are.
Do people talk about them?
Do you see them?
Are they recognizably different than big grasshoppers, or only in their aggregate behavior?

I have not seen a single locust/grasshopper since my arrival in NDB. There was a series of photos on the BBC News website yesterday highlighting how people in Nigeria are eating them, if that's of any interest. They actually looked kind of tasty.

2. The news sources have nothing but praise for the elections.
Is that the local feeling also?
Did it seem a big deal?
Was there any discussion of the exclusion of Islamist parties?

So far, the only elections to occur have been the mayoral and, I believe, legislative representative elections. They certainly did seem to go rather smoothly for this being a first go at a "truly" democratic race. I have discussed the hiccups in the NDB race, which finally ended with a runoff win by the favored old mayor's opponent. Apparently in Kaedi the race was also too close to call, and required a group of men to decide who won. Since one of the members of the ultimate deciding panel, who coincidentally would have cast the decisive vote, failed to show up, they concluded that the elder of the two should be mayor. People are reportedly not particularly bothered by the utter flaunting of the democratic system, but I don't really need to underline that this is a much different place.

Regarding the exclusion of Islamist parties, I did not gather much dissent about the decision, however, as I've stated before, NDB is "cosmopolitan." Many of the Islamist candidates aligned with other parties, so the election was definitely not free of them. Mark (old volunteer) predicted increased anti-Israel rhetoric (Mauritania is one of the few Islamic countries to acknowledge the existence of Israel, and there is an embassy in Nouakchott), in an effort to galvanize votes on an easy, hot-button topic, and we'll see if that is the case with the larger, upcoming elections. The few people with whom I have discussed the matter, or more specifically, those who have abruptly shared their opinions with me, have told me that they think it is a good thing that the Islamist parties have been excluded. Citing Hezbollah and Hamas, they declared that solely Islamic parties are more trouble than they're worth. The few times it happened it seemed like an instance in which, though they may have truly believed what they were saying, they were attempting to appeal to my "American" side.

Anyway, it would be ignorant to declare Mauritania free of those for whom Islam is the only correct way of life. Again, Nouadhibou is not where one would have felt the ire over their exclusion from the race. There are several locales in-country that are notoriously anti-West, and I suspect those would be the places to go to really observe the effects of said exclusion. For the most part, they don't request volunteers and my organization doesn't send volunteers to them, but I will ask around to see if there are any other opinions or experiences. Emotions will definitely become clearer and more pronounced with the approach of the presidential race.

3. Refugee migration is increasing again, especially along the coast. Apparently there is a detention center near Nouadhibou.
Do you hear about this?
What are the local feelings about them?

Shanty towns are expanding throughout the city, though how many of them consist of refugees and how many consist of those partaking in the great rural exodus is unclear to me. It is general knowledge that the immigrant community is growing in NDB, and the only really visible effect I have paid any attention to has been an increase in the number of restaurants and barber shops and languages I hear on the street.

I have heard recently that there has been a crackdown on the illegal attempts to boat to the Canaries. Subsequently, the refugees have reportedly been moving north of the city, up into Western Sahara. I don't know how true any of this is, but it appears to be the local gossip. As for their sentiments about the new arrivals, I really haven't heard very strong opinions on it. For what it's worth, there is very little crime, and all vagrancy I run into is purely homegrown.

There is apparently more than one detention center in NDB. I have visited one of them, not very far north of where I live and work. It is run by Mauritania, with support from the Red Cross/Red Crescent, and it exists basically as a collection point for those they find stranded in the ocean, where they are provided food and shelter, and then are eventually shipped back to their respective countries. The facilities were pretty basic, but considering no more than 100 meters away people were living in houses made of old washing machines and refrigerators, they were definitely sufficient. I went with a local friend, Ousmane, and we talked shortly with a gendarme who was guarding the compound. In a complete reversal of the norm, he was far more talkative than the Spanish man planted in the Red Cross/Red Crescent office, who acted more suspicious of us than anything.

4. There are economic reports about impending oil revenue.
Do people talk about this?
Is it influencing anything that you can see?
Have you noticed any effects on the PC operation?

Life is pretty unaffected by reports of impending oil revenue. Teachers nationwide recently received a very significant raise, which could perhaps be attributed to the expected profits, but I have no proof for that. It has had no effect on PC operation. The US, as far as I can tell, has little direct interest in the Mauritanian oil exploration, as the main companies with stakes in the project are Woodside (Australian), Hardman Resources (Australian), Premier Group (UK), Roc Oil (Australian, though it may be under Mauritanian administration locally), and BG Group (UK, trades on the London Stock Exchange and NYSE).

For the month of December they had hauled an oil platform into the bay for reasons unknown to myself, and at night, if you looked to the left out of my front door you would see a glowing Eiffel Tower rising out of the water.