内容摘要：Still, the Russian market has changed in some ways since the invasion.

Still, the Russian market has changed in some ways since the invasion.

“The houses became ruins because their owners left them,” explained Sidiya, who is a member of a national foundation dedicated to preserving the country’s ancient towns.For generations, Oualata’s population has steadily dwindled as residents depart in search of work, leaving the historical buildings neglected. The traditional structures, coated in reddish mud-brick known as banco, were crafted to withstand the desert climate, but require maintenance after each rainy season.

Much of the Old Town now stands abandoned, with only about one-third of its buildings inhabited.“Our biggest problem is desertification. Oualata is covered in sand everywhere,” Sidiya said.According to Mauritania’s Ministry of Environment, approximately 80 percent of the country is affected by desertification – an advanced stage of land degradation caused by “climate change (and) inappropriate operating practices”.

By the 1980s, even Oualata’s mosque was submerged in sand. “People were praying on top of the mosque” rather than inside, recalled Bechir Barick, a geography lecturer at Nouakchott University.Despite the relentless sands and wind, Oualata still preserves relics from its days as a key stop on trans-Saharan caravan routes and a renowned centre of Islamic learning.

As the town’s imam, Mohamed Ben Baty descends from a distinguished line of Quranic scholars and is the custodian of nearly a millennium of scholarship. The family library he oversees houses 223 manuscripts, the oldest dating back to the 14th century.

In a cramped, cluttered room, he half-opened a cupboard to display its precious contents – fragile, centuries-old documents whose survival is nothing short of remarkable.According to a statement from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office, the case is being investigated under femicide protocols, applied in instances where a woman is killed due to her gender.

Femicide refers to gender-related killings against women and girls. According to the latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women, femicide is rising around the globe.In 2023, a woman was intentionally killed every 10 minutes by a partner or family member.

Of the 85,000 women and girls killed across the world in 2023, 60 percent (51,000) were murdered by an intimate partner or a family member.How common is femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean?