"Before 1991 there were no newspapers and no publications in Mauritania. Some people distributed hand-written texts and pamphlets but we were not primarily journalists, we worked in other trades,” said Moussa Ould Hamed, editor of the Mauritanian French-language daily Biladi to RAP 21.

After the government opened the media sector, this picture quickly changed. The government flooded the media scene in the 1990s as a way to diminish the power of dissident newspapers. However, the newspaper industry has again taken another turn.

According to an article in Menassat, financial woes in Mauritania are hitting the newspaper industry hard. Just a few weeks ago, kiosks boasted over 400 publications. Today, newsstands are appearing empty with many publications being forced to print less and move content online.

Amid a worldwide recession, Mauritania is battling its own recession that has been brewing since the 2005 coup that ousted president Maaouiya Ould Taya. “Coup leader Vall’s government began ignoring newspapers and our needs, and we were no longer considered necessary,” said Mohammad Mahmoud Ould Bakkar, the publishing manager of Al-Alem, to Menassat.

Bakkar recently declared a “holiday period” for the printed version his paper, as he can no longer afford to print it. Among other publications bearing the brunt is the weekly Al-Hagaig, which is now only online.

After the 6 August 2008 coup that overthrew president Sidi Ould Chikh Abdallahi, more problems tied to the recession emerged. After the most recent coup, newspaper editors no longer allied with political parties like they had previously for financial protection, a system that was marred by corruption.

As a result, there is no supportive infrastructure left for Mauritanian newspapers. What remains is a culture of government monopolies, a lack of commercial advertising, and poverty. Few people can afford to buy the remaining papers and beyond several streets in the capital Nouakchott where papers are sold, it is even hard to come across one to purchase.

Papers are also suffering from the government’s control on printing. For decades, the string of governments has failed to give non-discriminative printing deals with the national printing house (the only one in the country). Only papers that have been in line with the day’s politics were rewarded with low printing costs.

The government also has a monopoly on advertisements - a method used to deplete press resources. Editor-in-chief of Al-Fajer said advertisements are gained through “unprofessional and unethical standards, or through acquaintances for a certain price.”

“The culture of advertising has not yet entered into the habits of Mauritanian enterprises. The economy is marked by monopolies and there is a lack of competition in various sectors,” said Lemine Ould M. Salem, a Mauritanian journalist, to RAP 21 a few months ago.

Poor salaries in the industry also have the effect of worsening these conditions by encouraging corruption by creating a situation where it is attractive to accept bribes for ads. For example, seven journalists, a graphic designer and secretary in the Biladi newsroom have a combined monthly salary of 1,000 Euros.

Adding more problems to the media scene in the country is the worry that news is quickly homogenizing in Mauritania. News is printed less often and editors are all depending on the same online content. “It is enough to buy one [newspaper] to know what is in the others,” said Sidi Mohammad Ould Ab, editor-in-chief of the weekly al-Badil al-Thaleth.