Mauritanian political leaders press junta chief for election timetable

2008-08-27 Three Mauritanian political parties, including the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD), announced Tuesday (August 26th) in Nouakchott that they will not participate in the future government unless ruling military junta members set an election timetable and decline to run for president, AFP reported. After ousting President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdellahi on August 6th, junta chief General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz vowed to hold swift elections and preserve the democratic system.

Also Tuesday, Algerian Said Djinnit, special envoy of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for West Africa, met with General Abdelaziz in Nouakchott and informed him about "the position of the United Nations". Djinnit told reporters after the meeting that they discussed ways for returning the country to constitutional order in compliance with the demands of the UN Security Council and the international community .

AU Commission chief urges Mauritanian junta to restore democracy

2008-08-26 African Union Commission chief Jean Ping met with the leader of Mauritania's ruling military junta on Monday (August 25th) in Nouakchott to discuss AU 's position on the coup and find a solution to the political unrest, local and international press reported. Ping urged coup leader General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz to restore constitutional order and democracy and release ousted President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdellahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghef. Ping said he was well received by Abdelaziz and optimistic about further discussions, AFP reported.

AU Commission chief visits Mauritania to seek president, PM's release

2008-08-25 African Union Commission President Jean Ping will be in Mauritania on Monday (August 25th) to press the ruling military junta to release Prime Minister Yahya Ould el-Waghef and deposed President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdellahi, the African Press Organisation announced. In an interview with Reuters ahead of the AU visit, Abdellahi's youngest son Ahmed said the military coup in Mauritania imperils the continent: "The future of democracy in Africa is at stake. If this coup is allowed to stand -- and it won't be -- then all the democracies in Africa are entirely threatened."

In other news, a charity NGO chaired by Abdellahi's wife Khattou Mint El Boukhari is asking that any investigation of its finances be conducted by an international commission rather than by Mauritanian deputies, AFP reported on Monday (August 25th). Alleged misappropriation of funds by KB Foundation was among junta leader General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's reasons for calling an extraordinary session of parliament last Wednesday.

Mauritanian Prime Minister El Waghef under house arrest

2008-08-24 Mauritanian Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef was rearrested by General Abdel Aziz's military junta on Thursday (August 21st) in Nouadhibou and has been placed under house arrest in his native village of Achram, press reports said on Friday. El Waghef was arrested for violating new regulations from the junta's State Council by leaving Nouakchott without permission to attend an anti-coup demonstration in Nouadhibou. Mauritanian NGOs and political parties opposed to the August 6th coup d'état denounced El Waghef's detention and both the European Commission and the French government issued statements on Friday describing his arrest as "arbitrary", "unacceptable" and calling for his "immediate and unconditional release".

Former Mauritanian prime minister re-arrested

2008-08-22 Days after being released from custody by Mauritania's new military leaders, former Prime Minister Ahmed Yahya Ould El Waghev was arrested Thursday (August 21st) in Nouadhibou, APA reported. Several other members of the National Front for the Defence of Democracy (FNDD), a party which opposes the ruling military junta, were permitted to enter the city for a political meeting. According to AFP, the second arrest comes after El Waghev told Abu Dhabi TV Wednesday that ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi president fired the generals August 6th after learning that they were "preparing a coup to be carried out on August 9th". He also refused to recognise the nomination of Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghaf as his replacement by the junta.

In a press conference Thursday, FNDD party leaders strongly condemned El Waghev's arrest, stating that the country is moving toward a new phase of "arbitrariness and suppression", Mauritanian news agency ANI reported.

Mauritanian ruling junta permits large anti-coup rally

2008-08-21 Thousands of Mauritanians rallied Wednesday (August 20th) in Nouakchott to protest the country's August 6th military coup and call for the return of ousted president Sidi Mohammed Ould Cheikh Abdellahi. The ruling military junta reportedly allowed the protest march to proceed. The anti-coup demonstration was organised by the National Front for the Defence of Democracy (an offshoot of the former president's PNDD party), an Islamic party, the APP party and the UFP. "The army have imposed an anti-constitutional regime on the Mauritanian people and taken [their] civil liberties and the democracy," UFP party leader Mohamed Ould Moloud was quoted by AFP as saying.

In other news Wednesday, Mauritanian news agency ANI reported that 32 parliamentarians boycotted the extraordinary session of parliament called by coup leader General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.