| Africa: North |
| Follow the Money in Mauritania |
| 2005-08-08 |
| August 8, 2005: The August 3rd coup that ousted Mauritanian President Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed Tayas was a consequence of very complex Mauritanian tribal politics. There are two major ethnic groups in the country, Arabo-Mauritanians (sometimes termed âWhiteâ Mauritanians), in the north, and Afro-Mauritanians, in the south. Afro-Mauritanians are generally animist or Christian, while Arabo-Mauritanians are almost entirely Moslem, ranging from secular to conservative. Afro-Mauritanians have very little influence in the country. Although the coup was initially reported as a possible Islamist response to Tayasâ pro-Western policies, both Tayas and Col. Ely Ould Mohammed Vall, who replaced him, are more or less secular Arabo-Mauritanians. The two men had formerly been close collaborators, and Vall had played a key role in the 1984 coup that brought Tayas to power. In return, in 1987, Tayas made Vall Director of National Security. Vall still held this post when the 17-member Council for Justice and Democracy ousted Tayas and named Vall president. The roots of the coup seem to be tied up in tribal politics. There are 36 âWhiteâ Arabo-Mauritanian tribes. About a dozen of these are traditionally warrior peoples, and have high status in the informal caste system among the tribes. Tayas came from the relatively small Samossad tribe, traditionally merchants and traders rather than warriors. Vall is tied to one of the principal warrior clans, who, not incidentally, tend to be very over-represented in the countryâs armed forces. Apparently in recent years there has been rising resentment among the warrior tribes over the distribution of booty in the country, as Tayas was seen as increasingly favoring his own clan. Tayas, who was attending the funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia at the time, has been offered asylum in Niger, from which he had declared that he remains President and intends to return to his country. In a surprising development, the coup has been widely condemned in the Arab press (except by the Palestinians, because of Tayasâ pro-Israel policies), and by the African Union collectively, and many African national leaders, despite the fact that several of the latter owe their positions to precisely the same process. Meanwhile, France has placed its forces in Senegal, Chad, and Gabon (in each of which there is a small brigade-type task force) on alert for possible NEO (Non-combatant Evacuation Operation), and action in which the French are likely to be supported by the U.S. |
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| Africa: North |
| New 'colonels' regime' faces outside pressure |
| 2005-08-06 |
| Mauritania was calm Thursday amid signs of national approval of the ousting of President Maaouyia Ould Taya, despite foreign condemnation of the coup in the oil-rich northwest African country. Hospital and military sources said the coup, staged Wednesday while Ould Taya was in Saudi Arabia for King Fahd's funeral, was entirely bloodless, and dismissed firing heard in Nouakchott as warning shots. Officials of all three hospitals in the city said they had received no casualties from bullet wounds or other violent injuries. A police officer who backed the coup told AFP, "we did not face any incident requiring the use of force." The capital was returning to normal Thursday, with businesses and government offices reopening and traffic resuming, while the presence of troops on the streets was greatly reduced. The airport, closed for several hours Wednesday, was also operating normally, and unlike previous coups in a country which has known long periods of military rule, no curfew was imposed or checkpoints set up. Some residents had spent much of the night driving through the streets in small convoys, sounding their horns in approval of the ousting of Ould Taiya, who had kept Mauritania in a tight grip for more than two decades since seizing power, also in a bloodless coup. Witnesses contacted by telephone said the rest of the country was also calm as it awaited the next moves from the new ruling Military Council for Justice and Democracy, chaired by Colonel Ely Ould Mohammed Vall, the country's police chief, and comprising 16 colonels and a naval commander. The announcement of the coup, several hours after troops took over key buildings in Nouakchott, said, "The military and the security forces have unanimously decided to put an end to the totalitarian practices of the regime from which our people have suffered so much in the last years." The new junta pledged to "establish favourable conditions for an open and transparent democratic system on which civil society and political players will be able to give their opinions freely. "The military and security forces do not intend to hold power for longer than a period of two years, which is considered essential to prepare and establish true democratic institutions," the statement said. It also vowed to respect all international treaties and conventions already ratified by Mauritania. The news brought hundreds of people on to the streets of Nouakchott in apparently spontaneous demonstrations of support, but opposition political parties Thursday called for the new rulers to put their promises into effect swiftly. The Union of Forces of Progress called for "respect for the republican framework of the state and the formation of a transitional government of national union, representative of the political spectrum." The Popular Front hailed the stated objectives of the junta and called for rapid changes, including "the opening of an era of tolerance and the release of all prisoners of conscience." But Ould Taya's Republican Democratic and Social Party called on all Mauritanians to reject "anti-constitutional change" and said it supported the former regime. Sources close to the junta said no member of Ould Taya's government had been detained or interrogated by the new leadership. Military officers contacted by AFP indicated the coup had been popular among the armed forces. One, who had not joined in the rebellion, said "the proof is that there was no resistance or hesitation following the coup, with units swiftly rallying to the change." There was no immediate reaction from the country's Islamists, who in recent months had been targeted by Ould Tahya in a crackdown on dubious allegations that they were linked to terrorism. As the ousted president was given refuge in Niger, the coup was condemned by the African Union, the European Union, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the United States. But the Arab League, of which Mauritania is a member, was slow to react, as was virtually every other African country. The AU reaffirmed its "total rejection of any unconstitutional change of government and the importance of respect for constitutional order," while Annan's spokesman said he "condemns any attempt to change the government of any country unconstitutionally" and insists that political disagreements be settled peacefully through democratic means. Britain, speaking as holder of the EU presidency, said it "condemns any attempt to seize power by force" and "calls upon all sides to ensure full respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law." Washington, which saw Ould Taya as an ally in the "war against terrorism" despite criticising abuses of his regime, called for the ousted president to be reinstated. Israel also condemned the coup but said it would wait to see how it would affect ties with one of the only three Arab countries with which it has diplomatic relations. But there was no immediate threat of international sanctions, while Australian oil company Woodside Petroleum said its offshore drilling operations in Mauritania had been unaffected by the coup. Mauritania sits on some one billion barrels of oil and 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas, according to the government, but has scarcely begun production. |
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