NOUAKCHOTT, August 7, 2008 (MENASSAT) – Respecting a long-held African tradition, the army generals who overthrew Mauritanian President Abdallahi on Wednesday headed straight for the state radio and television building, where they sacked and arrested the manager, Kabir Ould Hammoudi.

Hours later, the putschist generals had state TV broadcast a statement promising that free and transparent elections will be held in the country soon.

Sources said the seizure of the state broadcaster was an obvious bid to control any outflow of information. It came on the heels of the arrests of elected president Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf and other top officials.

The coup was led by Army General Ould Abdel Aziz, who had been fired by President Abdallahi earlier on Wednesday, together with tree other high-ranking military officers. Sources said that the dismissals were part of a move by the president to strengthen his grip on the army by appointing his own men to the top military posts.

Wednesday's coup was bloodless and apparently interfered very little with daily life in the capital Nouakchott.

As Al Jazeera's correspondent in Nouakchott, Mohamed Vall, reported, "There is no sight of any military presence in the streets except in front of the presidential palace and the TV and radio stations. There isn't even a curfew here. This situation is calm, people are going about their usual business."

International condemnation

Nevertheless, Mauritania is now one again a country under military junta rule. The rebels announced on Wednesday afternoon that an 11-member council would be appointed to ensure the functioning of the state institutions until presidential elections are held. No date for these elections was specified.



International media have reported widespread condemnation of the coup. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, "I deeply regret the overthrow of the government of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi," echoing a similar statement by the African Union and a call by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to restore the constitutional legitimacy of the presidency.

In front of the presidential palace in Nouakchott today, demonstrators chanted, "No to the Army, we support Sidi, the elected president!"

In response, coup leaders embarked on a public relations campaign through the former presidential adviser, Ahmad Baba Ould Ahmad Meskeh, who issued statements in support of the coup.

"The events of Wednesday were a correctional movement against [Sidi's] corrupt regime," an August 7 statement said, adding, "The military has managed to save the country over the years whenever there was a crisis that was caused by unjust rule."

Reactions

On August 6 and 7, MENASSAT went to the streets of Nouakchott to gauge the mood. One young taxi driver said, "It was a good decision for the military men to control everything."

A woman disagreed and said, "Sidi is the elected president and he had a right to sack any army commander he wanted."

Some were not surprised by the coup.

Sidi al-Mukhtar told MENASSAT, "I was terrified, but at the same time I was expecting this."

Amina, a trader in a central Nouakchott mall said, "The army deposed the regime of [former dictator Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed] Taya in a coup in 2005, and they basically brought Sidi to power. So they took him down too. I don't think there's any need to panic or be surprised."

But Mohammad Ould Mohammad Mbarak, a leader in the government-aligned Tawasol (Communication) Party, said it was a dangerous move, especially given the positive developments made by Mauritania since 2007.

"We lost three years and three days. The army has set us back," he said.

"Let me be clear in my opposition of the coup. It is also imperative to boycott the elections under this illegitimate regime. The situation is no longer acceptable when a military man changes an elected civil regime in less than an hour."

On Thursday, four Mauritanian political parties aligned with the government held a sit-in in front of the parliament building in Nouakchott. The ADEL Party, the National Collective for Reform and Development, Tawasol and the Progressive Forces Union said they were forming a "united front against the coup" and immediately began lobbying foreign embassies for support.

Newspapers blocked

Reuters reported that riot police used tear gas to disperse a demonstration by supporters of the president on Thursday.

Earlier, AFP reported that around 1,000 people also marched through the capital in support of General Aziz, bearing giant portraits of the general and chanted "Aziz, Aziz" as they marched to the presidential palace.

Apart from the takeover of the state broadcaster, the coup also had an impact on other Mauritanian media.

A number of Mauritanian newspapers failed to publish on August 6 after General Aziz's troops blocked the road leading to the only printing press in the country, which is owned by the state.

Newspapers blocked from publishing quickly resorted to the Internet, and many Mauritanian news websites witnessed unprecedented traffic in the hours and days following the coup, several editors said.

Journalist Sidi Ahmad Ould Bab, editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Al Akhbar, told MENASSAT, "Those weeping for the loss of democracy now are fooling themselves. Everyone knows Sidi Ould Al Sheikh Abdullahi was not the real ruler of Mauritania, and that it was Ould Abdul Aziz all along. So nothing has changed really."

But Fatima, a university student, said she worried about the reaction of the international community. "They already don't give us any attention. Things will be even more complicated now."

Indeed, international supporters of the deposed president, including the European Union, have already said that $241 million in previously pledged aid could be in jeopardy if democracy is not restored in Mauritania.


(Jackson Allers contributed to this story from Beirut. Mohammad Salem reported from Nouakchott.)