Coup in Mauritania
Reports from Nouakchott indicate that the Mauritanian military has overthrown the country's leader Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya. The head of state was out of the country at the time attending the funeral of Saudi King Fahd. The armed forces formed a new governing Military Council for Justice and Democracy, which is said would rule the country for two years and then leave after free elections. Ould Taya himself came to power following a 1984 coup. Outsiders will carefully observe the actions of the new military council because Ould Taya used Islamic extremism to justify many political crackdowns and because Mauritania is officially an Islamic republic.
posted by Brian @ Wednesday, August 03, 2005
1 comments
1 Comments:
Would this "bloodless coup" be considered a Velvet Revolution or just a plain old-fashioned grab for power and control over the country's undeveloped petroleum resources sitting right offshore?
This oughta be interesting to watch over the next several months to see who will cozy up to the new regime (China, anyone?). I wonder if the new military government will address the issue of slavery in Mauritania along with the many other problems faced by society there? The plot thickens across the roof of Africa (and Europe's vulnerable underbelly) as we progress into the Sahel in pursuit of Truth, Justice, and the...
By the way I like the new look of your blog, real bright and easy to read.
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