1984 Mauritanian coup d'état

1984 Mauritanian coup d'état
A CIA WFB map of Mauritania
Date12 December 1984
LocationNouakchott, Mauritania
TypeMilitary coup
MotiveRegime change
TargetPresidential Palace, Nouakchott
Organised byMaaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
ParticipantsFaction within the Armed Forces
OutcomeCoup succeeds

The 1984 Mauritanian coup d'état was a bloodless military coup in Mauritania which took place on 12 December 1984. The coup was led by the Army Chief of Staff, Colonel Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, who seized power in the capital Nouakchott while the President, Colonel Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, was out of the country.[1] Haidalla was attending a francophone summit in Bujumbura, Burundi. Taya had assumed the presidency of the 24-member ruling Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN),[1] a military junta which was created following an earlier coup in 1979.

Reports from Nouakchott said the coup had caused no disruption and business remained normal. Military reinforcements were evident near the radio and television stations and a few public buildings, the reports said.[1]

After initially fleeing to Brazzaville, People's Republic of the Congo,[1] Haidalla returned to the country a day later,[2] and he was arrested and imprisoned until 1988.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "MAURITANIA COUP OUSTS PRESIDENT". The New York Times. 13 December 1984. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  2. ^ "AROUND THE WORLD; Mauritania's President Arrested by Coup Leader". The New York Times. 14 December 1984. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Former Mauritanian President Released". Associated Press. 12 December 1988. Retrieved 14 April 2021.