Mauritanian President Maaouiya Sid Ahmed Ould Taya took to the airwaves on Monday to praise loyal army units for seeing off a coup attempt which led to two days of heavy fighting in the capital. "The patriotic forces beat this plot that aimed to end the process of development and emancipation", he said in a radio broadcast after two days of heavy fighting in the capital Nouakchott. Less than 24 hours earlier, Ould Taya appeared to have been ousted as rebel forces took over the presidential palace after launching a coup early on Sunday morning. France and the United States both issued strong denials that he had taken refuge in their embassies.
| "We'll return to our usual programming as soon as we're done shooting them..." |
The government of this Islamic desert state of less than three million people appeared to have been caught badly off-guard by the coup plot. Rebel soldiers moved onto the streets in the early hours of Sunday morning, targeting the presidential palace and military headquarters. Residents contacted by telephone from Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire said there was heavy machine gun and tank fire in the city centre. There were also reports of fighting around the airport and the southern districts of the city. |