WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA 030610: !!! Mauritania 'foils' coup attempt // !!! [WFP] Mauritania - Ba'athist Colonel Suspected of Leading Coup Attempt in Mauritania AND MORE on Liberia and Nigeria.

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Mauritania 'foils' coup attempt
[WFP] Mauritania - Ba'athist Colonel Suspected of Leading Coup Attempt in Mauritania Foreigners flee Liberia fighting 'Deeply Concerned' Security Council Calls On Parties in Liberia to Seek Peace Religious unrest claims two lives in Nigeria - police

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Mauritania 'foils' coup attempt

Monday, 9 June, 2003, 16:48 GMT 17:48 UK

Mauritania's president has praised loyal troops for putting down an attempted coup, in his first broadcast since fighting erupted on Sunday morning.

Earlier troops had retaken the centre of the capital, Nouakchott, from mysterious rebel forces after heavy fighting.

President Maaouiya Ould Taya said that it had taken some time to regain control of the city "because it was necessary to destroy tank after tank".

"As I speak, the operation is complete," he announced in a radio and television broadcast.

Some residents have begun celebrating, blasting car horns and shouting "Viva Maaouiya, viva Maaouiya".

The uprising has been the most serious challenge so far to the rule of President Taya, who took power in a coup of his own in 1984 and later made enemies among the country's Islamists.

The rebels did not issue any statement. The president said they were "officers of the national army" with sources suggesting the rebels were led by a former colonel, Salah Ould Hanana, with backing from units of the army and the air force.

He is now reported to be in hiding with two other captains. Other mutineers are said to be arrested.

Other mutineers are said to be being held by loyalists.

Hospitals struggling

Hospitals have been struggling to cope with t he casualties and many residents fled their homes during the fighting.

Earlier in the day there were reports of heavy government reinforcements entering Nouakchott from the north.

There are also unconfirmed reports that senior commanders on both sides were killed in the fighting.

The insurgents were believed to have taken key government buildings on Sunday.

During the fighting, the president's whereabouts was unknown, with
President Taya's staff only saying that they were in a "safe place".

Deserted streets

The rebellion began early on Sunday, when tank and small arms fire was heard around the presidential palace and at the airport.

Later smoke was seen rising from the palace, thought to have been taken by the insurgents. There were also reports of widespread looting.

There were unconfirmed reports that the army chief-of-staff, Colonel Mohammed Lamine Ndiayane, was killed in Sunday's fighting.

Most people in Nouakchott barricaded themselves in their homes.

"I have decided to lock everyone inside, all members of my family, because we are too scared to go out," said a resident contacted by phone by the Associated Press news.

Deep divisions

Several reports suggested the rebels are sympathetic to Iraq.

While Mauritania is officially an Islamic republic, the authorities have cracked down on suspected Islamists and politicians with links to Saddam Hussein since the beginning of the war in Iraq.

The country is one of only three states in the Arab League to hold full diplomatic relations with Israel, and correspondents say the population is largely opposed to these ties.

Mauritania is deeply divided between three main groups - light-skinned, Arabic-speakers, the descendents of slaves and dark-skinned speakers of West African languages.

Copyright © BBC

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[WFP] Mauritania - Ba'athist Colonel Suspected of Leading Coup A ttempt in Mauritania

9 June 2003

Kate Luxford WMRC Perspective Significance

The coup attempt is the country's worst political crisis since President Taya took power in a coup of his own in 1984 and is the most serious challenge so far to his presidency.

Implications

Whether or not the rebels have succeeded in taking power, the coup attempt
has undermined Mauritania's political and security situation. If a
pro-Ba'athist regime is installed, it could seriously damage the country's relationships with vital international donor organisations.

Outlook

The situation remains unclear and it may take days to establish whether President Taya has retained his grip on power, or whether pro-Ba'athist rebels have succeeded in taking control of the country.

Risk Ratings

Whatever the outcome in terms of who emerges as the country's leader, it is clear that the coup attempt has significantly damaged the country's political and security situation. As a result, WMRC has downgraded Mauritania's Political Risk Rating to 3.5 and its Security Risk Rating to 2.5.

Confused Situation

President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya is facing the most serious challenge since he took power in a 1984 coup, after elements of the country's armed forces attempted to seize power yesterday (8 June). Violence broke out at around 0100 GMT, with residents reporting tank and small arms fire around the presidential palace and the airport outside the capital, Nouakchott. Facing attack, guards at the presidential palace fled, allowing the mutineers to enter the compound. Smoke was later seen rising from the palace, which is now said to be under the rebels' control. Chaos reigned in the capital, with hundreds of prisoners seizing the opportunity to escape, hospitals struggling to treat the dozens wounded during the fighting and looters carrying off bags of money and parcels from the post office. There are un confirmed reports that the army's chief-of-staff, Colonel Mohammed Lanine Ndiayane, was killed yesterday during the fighting.

After a night of calm in Nouakchott, street battles between the mutineers and government forces loyal to the President resumed today, with explosions and heavy weapons fire being reported. Government sources said the army had received reinforcements last night in the form of heavy artillery and a battalion of parachutists from outside the capital. The fighting is said to be taking place in the city centre, at the airport and in the city's southern outskirts, despite a late morning announcement on state radio that the President is in control of the country and a statement from Information Minister Hamoud Ould M'Hamed saying the rebels had been defeated and their leaders arrested. The rebels are now thought to be in control of the state radio building and state media have stopped broadcasting.

The whereabouts of the President and his family are unknown, although government sources have said Taya is out of danger and is directing the counter-coup operations. Mauritania's former colonial power, France, today denied that reports that Taya is hiding in the French Embassy, while a senior US official later rebuffed reports that Taya had sought refuge in the US Embassy.

Government Crackdown

Although the mutineers are yet to issue any statement identifying
themselves and detailing their objectives, it is thought that they are being led by a Ba'athist former colonel, Salah Ould Hnana, who was sacked from the army last year and is now working with accomplices in army tank units and the air force.

The coup attempt comes on the heels of last month's government crackdown on Islamist political activists and Ba'athist politicians deemed close to the toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (see Mauritania: 6 May 2003: Government Cracks Down on Islamists and Ba'athists in Mauritania ). Although
no international terrorist organisations are known to operate from
Mauritania, the 32 Islamic leaders charged this month with threatening national security have been unofficially accused by police of links to a foreign network of Islamic extremists. In mid-May, Prime Minister Chiehk El-Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna denounced the 'rampant danger' posed by Islamic extremists in the country and warned that Mauritanian youths were being drawn to their cause, adding that extremists hoped to use the country as a new base after being forced out of other nations (see Mauritania: 19 May
2003: PM Warns of Danger of Islamic Extremism in Mauritania).

Although official media have praised the government's crackdown in the interests of national security, there is known to have been widespread popular opposition to government policy since the US-led attack on Iraq. This discontent stems from the government's earlier decision to cut ties with Iraq and its close relationship with Israel - in 1999, Mauritania became only the third Arab League state to establish full diplomatic
relations with Israel. In turn, Mauritania has received Israeli
agricultural assistance and help with the construction of a new hospital. Israel is also thought to have given the government discrete security assistance and relations between the two countries are said to have improved significantly during the Iraq war.

Lack of Democracy

Mauritania has technically been a multi-party democracy since 1991. However, given the government's historic repression of public and political opposition, coup attempts are one of the few existing avenues for expressing opposition to government policy and for changing the country's leadership; since gaining independence in 1960, power has only ever changed hands as a result of violence. The ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party - led by Taya - ha s been in power since the successful 1984 coup by Taya, a former chief-of-staff of the armed forces. He had participated in the July 1978 coup to topple president Moktar Ould Daddah, before seizing power in 1984 from president Khouna Ould Haidallah.

Although Taya has gradually led the country towards democracy since 1991, human rights groups and opposition politicians have consistently spoken out against the government's heavy-handedness. The opposition boycotted the last presidential election in 1997, although at least one opposition politician has declared his intention of taking on Taya in this year's presidential poll, which is set for 7 November (see Mauritania: 29 April
2003: Date Set for Presidential Poll in Mauritania). The coup attempt may now lead to these elections being postponed.

Outlook and Implications

The full implications of yesterday's coup attempt will remain hazy until it is known who is in control in Mauritania. Yet whatever the outcome, the country's political stability has been damaged, as has its security situation. Even if Taya retains power, his authority will have been undermined and the coup attempt highlights the level of opposition within the country to Taya's pro-Israel stance and recent crackdown on Islamist and Ba'athist activists. If the November elections go ahead, he is likely to face stiff opposition. Given the low probability of a free and fair election, the likely allegations of vote rigging may well spark protests and unrest.

However, the outcome is likely to be worse if the Ba'athist Hnana takes power. Before the banning of Ba'athist parties, there did not appear to be widespread public support for their activities, with public discontent seemingly more broadly pro-Iraq and anti-Israel. Hnana's ascension to power would, therefore, be likely to result in the further repression of opposition parties. A Ba'athist president would also b e unlikely to face a warm welcome from the international community, which has been pleased by Taya's post-11 September 2001 pledges to oppose international terrorism, cut off ties with Iraq and strengthen relations with Israel. Such international support is vital for Mauritania's economy, given that the desperately poor and drought-prone country has relied on the guidance of the World Bank and IMF since 1986, when it agreed to undergo economic and social reform in return for massive loans. The IMF and World Bank announced in 2002 that the country would receive US$1.1bn in debt relief, removing half its total debt. According to the World Food Programme, Mauritania is in need of urgent international assistance to guard against the threat of starvation as a result of a prolonged drought.

Neither outcome - either the return of a weakened Taya or the ascent to power of the Ba'athist Hnana - bodes particularly well for Mauritania's future, although the restoration of Taya to the presidency appears the best possible conclusion to current events. As a result, WMRC has downgraded Mauritania's Political and Security Risk Ratings.

Copyright 2003 World Markets Research Centre Limited

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Foreigners flee Liberia fighting

Tuesday, 10 June, 2003, 01:09 GMT 02:09 UK

A further evacuation of foreign nationals from Liberia is to take place amid intense fighting for the capital, Monrovia. Ghana has announced that it is sending a warship and several aircraft to remove its citizens after French military helicopters flew more than 500 Europeans, Lebanese and United States citizens from the city.

Rebels are closing in on the centre of Monrovia in their campaign against President Charles Taylor.

The United Nations Security Council has expressed deep concern, and called on all sides to cease hostilities.

A UN spokesman said Secretary General Kofi Annan was "alarmed at the severe impact which intensified fighting between rebels and government forces in Liberia is having on Monrovia's one million inhabitants".

A team of West African mediators is going to Monrovia in an effort to agree a ceasefire, and enable stalled peace talks in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to resume.

Refugees

Aid organisations say thousands of Liberians are sleeping rough in the capital after fleeing their homes in the face of the rebel advance on the city, which is being supported by artillery bombardments.

The BBC's Paul Welsh, in Monrovia, says food and water are becoming scarce.

Most of the fighting has been taking place in suburbs around the Saint Paul's River Bridge, which links the capital with the rebel-held town of Tubmanberg.

The assault by rebels of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd) began on Friday.

On Sunday, they gave Mr Taylor - himself a former warlord - a 72-hour ultimatum to step down, but there has been no end to the fighting, which has been mostly in the western suburbs.

Last week, Mr Taylor was indicted for war crimes by a United Nations-backed court in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Guinea, which Mr Taylor accuses of backing Lurd, has welcomed his indictment.

Conditions 'dreadful'

There have been no reliable reports of casualties from the fighting but one aid worker from British charity Merlin, Magnus Wolfe-Murray, said that the capital of this nation of some three million people was flooded with refugees.

"Conditions are dreadful," he said.

The offensive by the Lurd and another rebel faction known as Model has cut off land escape routes from the city.

One giant stadium in the centre is said to be packed with refugees.

The French-led evacuation on Monday saw special forces use helicopters to shuttle people to a warship from the European Union compound.

France's UN mission in New York said 535 people from 38 co untries were evacuated, among them about 100 Americans.

As the helicopters took off, gunfire and explosions could be heard less than five kilometres (three miles) away.

Copyright © BBC

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'Deeply Concerned' Security Council Calls On Parties in Liberia to Seek Peace

June 9, 2003 Posted to the web June 10, 2003

United Nations (New York)

Deeply concerned by developments in Liberia - where weekend violence once again rocked the capital city of Monrovia - the United Nations Security Council today appealed to all the parties to give the current peace process a chance to succeed.

In a statement to the press, the current Council President, Ambassador
Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation, said the members shared
Secretary-General Kofi Annan's alarm that escalating clashes between rebels
and government forces in Liberia have severely impacted the
already-desperate people living in and around Monrovia.

They also supported Mr. Annan's call on the parties to take all necessary measures to ensure that civilians are not targeted and spared the effects of war, the Council President said.

Ambassador Lavrov added that Council members also reaffirmed their support for the peace efforts of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) as well as the Liberian peace talks, currently underway in Ghana.

"The members of the Council also reminded all the parties on the ground
about their responsibilities under international humanitarian law,"
Ambassador Lavrov said, "and we appeal to [them] to provide security guarantees for safe and unhindered access to humanitarian agencies to vulnerable groups."

The Council also appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to alleviate the growing suffering of the Liberian people.

Copyright © AllAfrica 2003

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Religious unrest claims two lives in Nigeria - police

9 June 2003

At least two people were killed and dozens seriously injured Sunday in clashes between Muslims and Christians in Numan in Nigeria's northeastern Adamawa State, police said Monday.

The state government Monday evening imposed an indefinite dusk-to-dawn curfew on Numan to protect lives and property, according to the state-run radio Kaduna, monitored here.

Adamawa State deputy governor Bello Tukur announced the imposition of the 7.00 pm to 6.00 am curfew during a visit to the town, the report said.

Trouble started when a Christian woman from the Bachama ethnic group bought water from an ethnic Hausa Muslim vendor and refused to pay, Adamawa State police spokesman Bawa Saleh told AFP.

The woman had walked away to her nearby house and the vendor had run after her. Her relatives tried to intervene but the water vendor, in a fit of anger, pulled a dagger and stabbed her to death, Saleh said.

The killing provoked anger among her Christian relatives who later fought the Muslim Hausas in the neighbourhood.

Mosques, churches and private properties were destroyed in the ensuing fighting, the police officer said.

At least two people were killed in the fighting while dozens were seriously injured, he said.

Hundreds of Numan residents fled the fighting and sought refuge in police barracks and nearby villages.

Soldiers and riot police have been deployed to Numan to restore peace, the police spokesman said.

Security has also been beefed up in Yola, the state capital, to prevent the fighting from spreading there. Police have been sent to the state capital to protect lives and property of residents, he added.

The water vendor has been arrested, the police officer said.

The Red Cross said it had dispatched a team to Numan to provide assistance to those affected by the fighting.

Copyright Agence France-Presse 2003

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