Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
معاوية ولد سيد أحمد الطايع
Sid'Ahmed Taya sign in 2005
5th President of Mauritania
In office
12 December 1984 – 3 August 2005
Preceded byMohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Succeeded byEly Ould Mohamed Vall
5th Prime Minister of Mauritania
In office
25 April 1981 – 8 March 1984
Preceded bySid Ahmed Bneijara
Succeeded byMohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
In office
12 December 1984 – 18 April 1992
Preceded byMohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Succeeded bySidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar
Personal details
Born (1941-11-28) 28 November 1941
Atar, French Mauritania
Political partyDemocratic Republican Party for Renewal
SpouseAisha Mint Ahmed-Tolba
Military service
Branch/serviceMauritanian Army
Years of service1961–1992
RankColonel
Battles/warsWestern Sahara War

Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya (Arabic: معاوية ولد سيد أحمد الطايع, romanized: Ma‘āwiyah wuld Sīdi Aḥmad aṭ-Ṭāya‘ / Mu'awiya walad Sayyidi Ahmad Taya; born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer who served as the president of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. During his presidency, he pursued policies of Arab nationalism while deepening ties with the United States.

Having come to power through a bloodless military coup, he was ousted by a military coup himself in 2005. Prior to his presidency, he was the fifth prime minister of Mauritania between 1981 and 1992 (except for a brief period in 1984).

Early years

Born in the town of Atar (Adrar Region), Ould Taya attended a Franco-Arabic Primary School from 1949 to 1955. He then attended Rosso High School in southern Mauritania. After graduation, he attended a French military school in 1960 and graduated as an officer the next year. In 1975, he received strategic training at the French War Academy. In 1978, the Mauritanian army seized power and ousted President Moktar Ould Daddah, in an attempt to forestall government collapse in the war over Western Sahara against the Polisario Front (1975–79). Ould Taya was among the conspirators, and quickly gained influence within the government.

President of Mauritania (1984–2005)

After holding various positions in the military, Ould Taya was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army in January 1981, during the rule of military head of state Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla. In the aftermath of a failed coup against Ould Haidalla in March 1981, Ould Taya was appointed Prime Minister on 25 April 1981, replacing civilian prime minister Sid Ahmed Ould Bneijara. He held this office until 8 March 1984, when Ould Haidalla, who was still head of state, took over the post. On 12 December 1984, while Ould Haidalla was out of the country, Ould Taya seized power and declared himself Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation.

In October 1987, Ould Taya's military government allegedly uncovered a tentative coup d'état by a group of black army officers, backed, according to the authorities, by Senegal. Several officers were arrested, interrogated, and tortured, leading to the acquittal of only seven.

Senegal-Mauritania War

Site of the Mauritania-Senegal Border War

The discord between conflicting visions of Mauritanian society as either black or Arab again rose to the surface during the intercommunal violence that broke out in April 1989. This tension grew when the Mauritania-Senegal border dispute escalated into violence between the two nations.[1]

Even before the war, Ould Taya and Abdou Diouf, president of Senegal at the time, had been engaged in a dispute after the completion of dams on the Senegal River. Ould Taya argued that Senegalese representatives in the OMVS had refused to create river harbors during construction, diminishing Mauritania's ability to exploit phosphate deposits.[2]

Abdou Diouf, President of Senegal during the Mauritania-Senegal Border War.

Heightened ethnic tensions created an additional catalyst for the Mauritania–Senegal Border War, which started as a result of a conflict in Diawara between Moorish Mauritanian herders and Senegalese farmers over grazing rights. The border between Senegal and Mauritania was then closed, and the two nations ended diplomatic ties with each other.

As the war continued, many Fula and Soninke people were arrested and executed.[3] Ould Taya's government initiated a military investigation before implementing a law of amnesty.[4]

In July 1991, presidents Diouf and Ould Taya reached an agreement to end hostilities. On 18 July, Senegal and Mauritania signed a peace treaty, ending the Mauritania–Senegal Border War, and on 2 May 1992, the border reopened to civilians.

Arab nationalism and foreign policy

Flag of the Arab League.

the late 1980s, Ould Taya had established close co-operation with Iraq, and pursued a strongly Arab nationalist line. Mauritania grew increasingly isolated internationally, and tensions with Western countries grew dramatically after it took a pro-Iraqi position during the 1991 Gulf War, although he had received French support and aid in 1984-1987.[5] Ould Taya faced criticism for infringing the rights of black Mauritanians during this time, including forced expatriations.

Transition to democracy and multi party system

Ould Taya's regime began a transition to civilian, multiparty government in 1991; a new constitution was approved by referendum in July. The first multiparty presidential elections were held in January 1992. Ould Taya, as candidate of the newly formed Democratic and Social Republican Party (PRDS), received nearly 63% of the vote[6] amid opposition claims of serious irregularities and fraud. He won slightly more than 90% of the vote in the following 12 December 1997 presidential election, which was boycotted by major opposition political parties;[6][7] anticipating fraud, they said that this would make their participation futile.[8]

Last years in office

The last years of Ould Taya's rule were marred by unrest within the military and hostility between the regime and the country's Islamists. Ould Taya moved away from his initial support of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, and moved towards the West.[9] On 28 October 1999, Mauritania joined Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan as the only members of the Arab League to officially recognize Israel. By doing so, Ould Taya formally ended a declared war on Israel that dated from the 1967 Six-Day War.

During his administration, Ould Taya also began co-operating with the United States in anti-terrorism activities, a policy that was criticized by some human rights organizations.[10] Increasing ties with Israel and the United States served to deepen the opposition to his rule.[11]

In June 2003, Ould Taya's government survived a coup attempt, defeating rebel soldiers after two days of fighting in the capital, Nouakchott;[12] the coup leader, Saleh Ould Hanenna, initially escaped capture. Ould Hanenna announced the formation of a rebel group called the Knights of Change, but was eventually captured in 2004 and sentenced to life in prison along with other alleged plotters in early 2005.[13][14] On 7 November 2003 a presidential election was held, which was won by Ould Taya with over 67% of the vote.[6] The opposition again denounced the result as fraudulent; the second place candidate, former ruler Ould Haidalla, was arrested both immediately before and after the election, and was accused of plotting a coup.[15] In August 2004, the government arrested more alleged coup plotters, who it said had planned to overthrow Ould Taya when he took a planned trip to France; some, however, doubted the existence of this plot and suspected that it was a pretext for a crackdown.[16] In late September, the government claimed to have thwarted yet another plot to oust Ould Taya.[17]

Anticipating an increase in government revenue through the exploitation of natural resources, particularly offshore oil deposits, Ould Taya announced an increase in pay for the civil service and pensions in November 2004.[18]

Fall from power

While Ould Taya was out of the country for the funeral of Saudi king Fahd in early August 2005, soldiers seized government buildings and the state media. The group, which identified itself as the Military Council for Justice and Democracy, announced a coup d'état in a statement run by the state news agency on 3 August: "The armed forces and security forces have unanimously decided to put an end to the totalitarian practices of the deposed regime under which our people have suffered much over the last several years."

The new military dictatorship said it would remain in power for a maximum of two years to allow time for democratic institutions to be implemented.[19] The Military Council for Justice and Democracy named Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, a top associate of Ould Taya for many years, as its head.[20]

Ould Taya was ousted while attending the funeral of Saudi king Fahd (1921–2005)

Ould Taya, on his way back from Fahd's funeral, landed in Niamey, the capital of Niger.[20] He met Niger's president Mamadou Tandja before going to a villa in Niamey.[21] Speaking to Radio France Internationale on 5 August, Ould Taya condemned the coup, saying that there had "never been a more senseless coup in Africa" and that it reminded him of the adage "God save me from my friends, I'll take care of my enemies".[22] On 8 August, he unsuccessfully attempted to order the armed forces to restore him to power.[22][23] Broad support for the coup appeared to exist across the country; Ould Taya's own party, PRDS, abandoned him a few days after the coup by endorsing the new regime's transitional plan.[22][24] International reaction to Ould Taya's overthrow was initially strongly hostile, including the suspension of Mauritania from the African Union, but after several days the new rulers were apparently diplomatically successful in winning tacit international acceptance of their transitional regime. The United States in particular at first called for Ould Taya to be restored to power but subsequently backed away from this.[23]

After presidency

He left Niger for Banjul, Gambia, on 9 August 2005.[23] After nearly two weeks there, he and his family flew to Qatar, where they arrived on 22 August.[25]

In April 2006, Vall said that Ould Taya could return home as a free citizen, but would not be allowed to take part in the elections that were to mark the end of the transition because, Vall said, his participation could disrupt the transitional process; however, Vall said that he would be able to return to politics after the completion of the transition.[26]

In the March 2007 presidential election, Ould Taya is said to have favoured former central bank governor Zeine Ould Zeidane.[27]

In late 2013, Ould Taya was appointed a teacher at the Ahmed Bin Mohammad Military School, a military academy in Qatar.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Mauritania's Campaign of Terror". Human Rights Watch. 1 April 1994.
  2. ↑ "Conflict in the Senegal River Valley". www.culturalsurvival.org. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  3. ↑ State, US Department of (1 February 1992). "Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1991". Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1993 - Mauritania". Refworld. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "About this Collection | Country Studies | Digital Collections | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Elections in Mauritania, African Elections Database.
  7. ↑ "Mauritanian president wins poll", BBC.co.uk, 13 December 1997.
  8. ↑ Themon Djaksam, "Country profile: Mauritania", New Internationalist, October 1997.
  9. ↑ Ahmed Mohamed, "Freed Islamic leaders in Mauritania say ousted leader's policies fomented extremism" Archived 12 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, 10 August 2005.
  10. ↑ "CNN.com - Crackdown courts U.S. approval - Nov. 24, 2003". CNN. 7 April 2008. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Q&A: Mauritania's power struggles", BBC News, 3 August 2005.
  12. ↑ "Ould Taya survives coup attempt", IRIN, 9 June 2003.
  13. ↑ "Government arrests mastermind behind coup plots", IRIN, 12 October 2004.
  14. ↑ "Coup plotters get life in prison but escape death sentence", IRIN, 3 February 2005.
  15. ↑ "Top Mauritanian politician held", BBC News, 9 November 2003.
  16. ↑ "Defence minister confirms coup plot, arrests", IRIN, 11 August 2004.
  17. ↑ "Government says foils third coup plot in 15 months", IRIN, 29 September 2004.
  18. ↑ "President raises wages ahead of oil boom", IRIN, 30 November 2004.
  19. ↑ "Military coup in Mauritania" Archived 28 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Middle East Online, 3 August 2005.
  20. 1 2 "New military rulers face worldwide condemnation", IRIN, 4 August 2005.
  21. ↑ "Mauritania officers 'seize power'", BBC News, 4 August 2005.
  22. 1 2 3 "Junta outlines plans for new democracy as ousted president vows to return home", IRIN, 8 August 2005.
  23. 1 2 3 Hademine Ould Sadi, "Military rulers in Mauritania win AU backing" Archived 20 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Middle East Online, 10 August 2005.
  24. ↑ Hademine Ould Sadi, "Mauritania's new junta keeps on winning friends" Archived 20 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Middle East Online, 8 August 2005.
  25. ↑ "Ousted Mauritanian leader arrives in Qatar" Archived 16 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Mail & Guardian Online, 22 August 2005.
  26. ↑ "Vall: Maaouiya Ould Taya free to return home" Archived 20 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Middle East Online, 19 April 2006.
  27. ↑ "Ould Taya vote Ould Zeidane" Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Jeuneafrique.com, 11 March 2007 (in French).
  28. ↑ "Ex-Mauritanian president to teach at Qatar military school". Al Arabiya. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
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