Mauritania

Still suffering from major unrest and tension from a 2008 coup that replaced the old government, Mauritania’s long-running problems with slavery, human trafficking, human rights violations, and other problems make life very difficult for much of the nation’s populace. In the past, a modest number of local superheroes sought to improve things, but ideological conflicts and push-back from authoritative forces in the government led to the outlawing of all but officially licensed government superhumans in 2010. Since then, several costumed heroes have retired or left the country, leaving only a handful behind to form an underground group led by Antarah, a masked hero who gains his powers from a mystic gem first used by the Arab folk hero and warrior-poet from whom he takes his name. Antarah is particularly concerned with shutting down the slave trade in his nation, though his reasons are unknown to the public.