1978 Mauritanian coup d'état
Military overthrow of Moktar Ould Daddah / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1978 Mauritanian coup d'état was a bloodless military coup in Mauritania which took place on 10 July 1978.[1][2] The coup, led by the Army Chief of Staff, Colonel Mustafa Ould Salek, who commanded a group of junior officers, overthrew President Moktar Ould Daddah, who ruled the country since independence from France in 1960. The main motive for the coup was Daddah's ill-fated participation in the Western Sahara War (from 1975 onwards) and the resulting ruin of the economy of Mauritania.[3] Following the coup, Salek had assumed the presidency of a newly-formed military junta, the 20-member Military Committee for National Recovery (CMRN).[1][4]
Date | 10 July 1978 |
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Location | Nouakchott, Mauritania |
Type | Military coup |
Cause | Participation of Mauritania in the Western Sahara War |
Motive | Regime change |
Target | Presidential Palace, Nouakchott |
Organised by | Mustafa Ould Salek |
Participants | Faction within the Armed Forces |
Outcome | Coup succeeds
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Reports from the capital Nouakchott said no shooting had been heard in the city, and no casualties had been announced.[1]
After a period of imprisonment, Ould Daddah was allowed to go into exile in France in August 1979, and was allowed to return to Mauritania on 17 July 2001.[5]