20110205
xinhua

NOUAKCHOTT, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Mauritanians took to the streets in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, after the Friday prayers to demand immediate departure from power of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The protesters who came from the biggest mosque in town marched along the capital's main streets before converging at the UN offices in Nouakchott.

They demanded the intervention of this organization so that Mubarak "could be punished for the crimes he had committed against the Egyptian people." They also condemned "the harassment of youths who are gathered at Tahrir Square in Cairo."

"We have come out today to voice our support for the Egyptian people and to condemn any form of injustice and tyranny," said Abdallahi Ould Razzagh, a leader of a student movement.

On Jan. 30, hundreds of students from Nouakchott University organized a sit-in in front of the Mauritanian parliament to show their solidarity with Egyptian protests.

Mauritania is the only sub-Saharan African country of the Arab League, where several members are hit by waves of anti-government protests including Tunisia, Yemen and Egypt.

At least eight people have been killed and 900 injured in the clashes in Egypt, with the Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital Cairo described by media as the "battleground."

Mubarak has said he is "fed up" with being in power, but is resisting mounting pressure to resign as he says it will leave Egypt in chaos.

In his first interview since anti-government protests began 12 days ago, he told ABC News he would like to resign immediately. But he repeated that the country's Islamist opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, would fill the power vacuum left by his absence.