2005 Mauritanian coup d'état

Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya had reigned over Mauritania since he had taken power from Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla in a bloodless coup d'état in December 1984.

Mauritania had also seen coup attempts in June 2003 and August 2004.{{Cite web |author=Par Le |date=2003-06-25 |title=La tentative de putsch a été meurtrière |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/politique/la-tentative-de-putsch-a-ete-meurtriere-26-06-2003-2004200781.php |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=leparisien.fr |language=fr-FR}}

The 2003 attempt had been led by Saleh Ould Hanenna, and the August 2004 attempt was allegedly led by army officers hailing from Hanenna's ethnic group.{{cite news |date=11 August 2004 |title='Army coup foiled' in Mauritania |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3553906.stm |newspaper=BBC News }} Motives for the coup included Taya's alignment with America and being one of only three countries in the Arab world to start formal diplomatic ties with Israel. The coup was also motivated by opposition to Taya's suppression of some opposition parties and his occasional military purges.{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/08/03/mauritania/index.html?iref=newssearch|title=Soldiers in Mauritania stage coup|website=cnn.com|publisher=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050805004504/http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/08/03/mauritania/index.html|archive-date=5 August 2005|url-status=dead|access-date=22 October 2016}}

While Taya was attending the funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia on 3 August 2005, members of the Presidential Guard (BASEP) surrounded the Presidential palace and other important ministries. Shots were heard throughout the capital, clearing the streets of Nouakchott.

The coup leaders also took control of state-run radio and TV stations.{{cite web|title=Un nouveau coup d'Etat militaire|url=http://www1.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/068/article_37855.asp|website=www1.rfi.fr|publisher=Radio France Internationale|access-date=22 October 2016|language=fr}}

In an official message on Mauritanian television, the coup leaders declared, "The armed forces and security forces have unanimously decided to put a definitive end to the totalitarian acts in the past few years of the defunct regime under which our people have suffered greatly in the last few years."

Domestically, the coup had support from the population, with some in the capital honking their car horns in support.

The African Union expressed concern and condemned all seizures of power.{{cite news|title=Mauritania officers 'seize power'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4741243.stm|website=bbc.com|date=4 August 2005 |publisher=BBC|access-date=22 October 2016}} The Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan, "was deeply troubled", stating that he wanted the dispute to be resolved peacefully. The then President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, denounced the coup, stating "the days of tolerating military governance in our sub-region or anywhere [are] long gone".

The coup ended Ould Taya's repressive regime, which was characterized by a make-believe democracy heavily reliant on tribal affiliations and a powerful security apparatus. It was primarily driven by the military's withdrawal of support for Taya due to his increasingly erratic and unpopular policies, especially his use of the "terrorist card" to gain Western support, which alienated significant segments of the population.{{Cite journal |last=N’Diaye |first=Boubacar |date=2006-07-01 |title=Mauritania, August 2005: Justice and democracy, or just another coup? |url=http://academic.oup.com/afraf/article/105/420/421/77000/Mauritania-August-2005-Justice-and-democracy-or |journal=African Affairs |language=en |volume=105 |issue=420 |pages=421–441 |doi=10.1093/afraf/adi126 |issn=1468-2621|url-access=subscription }}

Taya was on the plane back to Mauritania when the coup happened, forcing him to land in Niger. He eventually made his way to Qatar,{{cite web|last1=Bibbo|first1=Barbara|title=Taya lands in Qatar with family|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/taya-lands-in-qatar-with-family-1.298328|website=GulfNews|access-date=22 October 2016|date=23 August 2005}} and now works as a teacher at a Qatar military academy.{{cite web|title=Ex-Mauritanian president to teach at Qatar military school|date=30 September 2013 |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2013/09/30/Ex-Mauritania-president-to-teach-at-Qatar-military-school-.html|publisher=Al-arabiya|access-date=22 October 2016}}

After the coup, the African Union demanded a return to "constitutional order" in Mauritania, and suspended Mauritania's membership in the African Union.{{cite web|title=The Military Coup in Mauritania: Domestic and International Implications|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-military-coup-in-mauritania-domestic-and-international-implications|publisher=The Washington Institute|access-date=22 October 2016}}

The Mauritanian military government ended after a fair presidential election was held in 2007, in which Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was elected. Mauritania's membership in the African Union was returned following the 2007 elections.{{cite news|title=All is rather easily forgiven|url=http://www.economist.com/node/14105592|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=22 October 2016}} However, after it was found out that Abdallahi had opened channels of communications with Islamic hardliners thought to be associated with Al-Qaeda, and had used public funds to build a mosque in the palace, he was overthrown by a coup in 2008 led by members of the 2005 coup,{{cite web|last1=Mohammed|first1=Ahmed|title=Mauritania army stages coup; junta takes charge|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hmqqO8XJixmimcunkNvDYctnppTgD92CQJ180|website=ap.google.com|publisher=AP|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080812110822/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hmqqO8XJixmimcunkNvDYctnppTgD92CQJ180|archive-date=12 August 2008}} resulting in Mauritania being once again suspended from the African Union (AU).

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Category:Military coups in Mauritania

Category:2000s coups d'état and coup attempts

Coup

Category:Conflicts in 2005

Category:August 2005 in Africa