U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated his intention to end trade benefits for Mauritania on Jan. 1 for not making what he described as sufficient progress towards ending forced labour practices. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office disclosed this at the weekend in a statement. USTR said Trump had determined after an annual eligibility review that Mauritania was not in compliance with requirements of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free treatment for certain
goods.
“Forced or compulsory labour practices like hereditary slavery have no place in the 21st century,” Deputy U.S. Trade Representative C.J. Mahoney was quoted as saying in the statement, adding.
“We hope Mauritania will work with us to eradicate
forced labour and hereditary slavery so that its AGOA eligibility may be restored in the future.”
(REUTERS)
