20/08/2008
The UN Security Council on Tuesday (August 19th) "condemn[ed] the Mauritanian military's overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Mauritania" and demanded "the immediate release" of President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. The council also denounced the actions of the junta's State Council, "in particular its move to seize the powers of the presidency", and demanded the immediate "restoration of the legitimate, constitutional, democratic institutions".
Mauritania's UN ambassador Abderrahim Ould Hadrami Hadrami responded to the council's non-binding statement by saying that the August 6th action "cannot be described as a coup d'etat since all the institutions of the republic are working normally and basic freedoms are preserved". He added that the country "has not turned its back on democracy".
In related news, the Union of Democratic Forces (RFD) of Ahmed Ould Daddah said Tuesday that there is a good chance it will participate in the new government. RFD holds 17 seats in the 95-member lower house.