The Socialist Union of Mauritanian Muslims (Arabic: اتحاد الاشتراكيين المسلمين الموريتانيين, French: Union socialiste des musulmans mauritaniens, abbreviated USMM) was a political party in Mauritania. The party was founded in February 1960.[1] Achmed Ould Kerkoub was the leader of the party.[2]
The party was based in the Adrar Region, and represented French military interests in the area.[1] [3] It submitted its charter to the authorities in Atar on February 25, 1960.[3] USMM supported the French plan of the Common Organization of Saharan Regions (OCRS) and wished that Mauritania would remain within the French Community.[1] The leaders of the party were generally Moor chiefs that had previously been linked to the Mauritanian Regroupment Party (PRM).[4] [5]
The party sought to compete with the banned Nahda party in the Adrar Region, and its charter had some common points with the moderate sectors of Nahda.[3] [6] At the time around the 1958 French constitutional referendum USMM had moved closer to the governing PRM.[1] In 1961 USMM and the other political parties in the country were merged into the Mauritanian People's Party (PPM), the sole legal party in the country.[7]