2008 Mauritanian coup d'état: Difference between revisions

The 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état took place in Mauritania on 6 August 2008 when Mauritanian President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from government by a group of high ranking generals that he had dismissed from office earlier that day.

Background

Location of Mauritania

General Muhammad Ould ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz led the 2005 coup that ended the 21-year dictatorship of President Maaouya Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya. Aziz backed Abdallahi's candidacy in the subsequent 2007 elections, which Abdullahi won, making him the country's first freely-elected leader. Abdallahi soon angered General Aziz and his supporters, however, by reaching out to Islamic hardliners, by freeing several suspected terrorists, and by using state funds to build a mosque on the grounds of the presidential palace. In May, Abdallahi also appointed 12 ministers who had been part of President Taya's former government, some of whom had been accused of corruption. This caused Mauritania's parliament to hold a no-confidence vote which led to the new government's resignation, and caused 48 MPs to walk out on the ruling party. The immediate catalyst for the coup, however, was Abdallahi's announcement on the morning of August 6 that he was firing several generals, including Aziz (who had been the head of the presidential guard) and army chief of staff General Mohamed Ould Sheikh Mohamed. Mauritania has experienced more than 10 coups or attempted coups since achieving its independence from France in 1960.

Details

President Abdallahi

Early in the morning, Abdallahi announced that he was firing several senior army officers, and at 9:20 a.m. he was seized from his home by members of the Presidential Security Battalion (BASEP for Bataillon de la sécurité présidentielle) in a military coup. Presidential spokesman Abdoulaye Mamadouba said in a statement that President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf, and Interior Minister Mohamed Ould R'zeizim had been arrested by renegade Senior Mauritanian army officers, unknown troops, and a group of generals, and were being held under house arrest at the presidential palace in Nouakchott. Of the apparently successful and bloodless coup d'état, Abdallahi's daughter, Amal Mint Cheikh Abdallahi said: "The security agents of the BASEP came to our home and took away my father."

The coup plotters were fired top leaders of Mauritania’s security forces, and included General Muhammad Ould ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz, General Muhammad Ould Al-Ghazwani, General Philippe Swikri, and Brigadier General (Aqid) Ahmad Ould Bakri. State television reported that the country was now being led by a new Military State Council, which would be run by Aziz. The state council said that Abdallahi was now the "former president."

General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz issued a statement on the al-Arabiya international television station and issued what he called, "communiqué No. 1" which reversed the "former president's" firing of the military officers. Al-Aziz was also reportedly holding talks with the speaker of the Mauritanian National Assembly, Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, on the feasibility of holding potential new elections in two months.

File:Abdallahi and Aziz.jpg

Deposed President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (left) shakes hands with General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (right) in a file photo.

Police reportedly fired tear gas at about 50 people who had gathered near the main market of the Mauritanian capital city, Nouakchott. Otherwise, Nouakchott has remained calm.

All state television and radio stations in Nouakchott reportedly ceased broadcasting as the coup began. The Nouakchott international airport is also closed.

International reaction

• Arab Maghreb Union - The Arab Maghreb Union asked its own Secretary General Habib Ben Yahia to visit Mauritania immediately in order to assess the situation and "contact the various parties" involved in the coup.
• African Union - In a written statement the group immediately condemned the coup: "The African Union (...) condemns the coup d'Etat and demands the restoration of constitutional legality."
• European Union - The European Commission said in a statement that it "is very concerned by the situation in Mauritania, which puts into question the remarkable democratic progress in this country." Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel also said that "this situation could put into question our policy of cooperation with Mauritania," and could threaten the 156 million euros of aid allocated for Mauritania for 2008-2013.
• France - When asked a question about the coup at a press conference, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner replied, “You know how attached we are to Mauritania’s stability. It is too soon to describe the situation. Let me remind you nevertheless of France’s attachment to preserving the rule of law in all circumstances and its hostility to the seizure of power by force.” A statement in French from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier in the day also said, "We are in contact with our embassy in Nouakchott and monitoring the situation with the greatest attention in conjunction with all our partners. Steps are being taken locally to ensure the safety of French nationals. The safety recommendations will be distributed according to the changing situation."
• Nigeria - President Umaru Yar'Adua stated "Nigeria totally condemns the event that took place today in Mauritania. Nigeria will not recognize any government that did not come to power through constitutional means." He also said, "Our sub-region has made great advances in terms of peace and security and sustenance of democracy at great cost to our peoples that we cannot afford the hand of the clock to be turned back again.”
• South Africa - A spokesperson for the department of foreign affairs said, "South Africa has never countenanced the use of military coups to settle political issues and joins the entire international community in expressing its outright and unequivocal condemnation of such unconstitutional transfer of power," adding, "South Africa like the rest of humanity calls for an immediate return to democracy and the rule of law."
• Spain - In a press release from The Directorate-General for Communication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Office of the Kingdom of Spain, the following was stated, “The Spanish government expresses its condemnation of the coup that took place this morning in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania... [we] also hoped to produce the immediate release of the President and the Prime Minister and the restoration of democratic normalcy.”
• United Nations - Through a spokeswoman, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that he "deeply regrets" the coup. Also, Ban's spokeswoman said he "deeply regrets the overthrow of the Government of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi," and called for "the restoration of constitutional order,".
• United States - US State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said of the coup, "This was a democratically elected, constitutional government and we condemn the act." He also added, "We call on the military to release the president and the prime minister and to restore the legitimate constitutional, democratically elected government immediately." Gallegos said, finally, “We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the Mauritanian military’s overthrow of the democratically elected government of Mauritania.[...]” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice herself said this in a press conference, “The United States condemns the Mauritanian military's overthrow of the democratically elected Government of Mauritania and welcomes the statements by the African Union and the European Union condemning the coup. We call on the military to release President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf and to restore the legitimate, constitutional, democratically elected government immediately. The United States looks to all of our international partners to condemn this anti-democratic action,"

See also

• 2005 Mauritanian coup d'état