Madar (Nouakchott) - Clean-up campaigns are back in the spotlight in Nouakchott, with the ruling El Insaf party launching a volunteer initiative covering the capital's nine municipalities alongside similar municipal efforts, as the government admitted it is not satisfied with the state of cleanliness in the city.
The party said its campaign responds to President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani's call for a national drive for cleanliness and greater awareness of the importance of protecting the environment and public spaces.
The launch was overseen by the party's permanent secretary for territorial planning, urban development and environmental sustainability, Sidi Mohamed Ould Bouna, known as "El Moudir", with the president of the Nouakchott region, the party's federal officials in the capital's three wilayas, mayors, elected officials, cadres and activists.
The initiative involved simultaneous field operations across the capital's municipalities with party bodies and volunteers, while Arafat municipality launched a similar campaign.
El Insaf says the activities aim to improve the urban landscape and promote a culture of volunteering and collective responsibility for the environment and public property.
The moves come amid continuing criticism of cleanliness in Nouakchott, despite a succession of companies hired for the task, most recently the Moroccan firm "Arma".
The government has also voiced dissatisfaction: Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay said during a field visit on Saturday to several health and service facilities in the capital that the state of cleanliness "is not satisfactory".
