AU Condemns Military Coup in Mauritania

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, June 10, 2003

AU Condemns Military Coup in Mauritania

Interim Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU) Amara Essy on Monday condemned the reported military coup attempt in Mauritania on June 8.

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Interim Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU) Amara Essy on Monday condemned the reported military coup attempt in Mauritania on June 8.

Essy described the coup as running contrary to the Lome declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government and the principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the AU, said an AUpress release here.

He reaffirmed AU's total rejection of any attempt to seize power by coup or other unconstitutional means as well as its unflinching commitment to the respect for constitutional order.

The coup took place at 1:50 a.m. (0150 GMT) on Sunday morning around President Maawiya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya's residence in the capital of Nouakchott, from which gun shots and explosions could be heard, eye witnesses were quoted as saying.

The exchange of gunfire continued until about 6:00 a.m. (0600 GMT) before some rebelled Mauritanian government troops taking part in the coup were defeated.

So far, the attempted military coup had been "totally under control" in Nouakchott, with all the rebelled soldiers having surrendered to the troops loyal to Taya.

The attempted coup happened five months ahead of the presidential election in the west African country.

Taya came into power through a coup in December 1984. He won the presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997.

Taya has announced that he will participate in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for Nov. 7 this year.

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