MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Mauritania
Index
The difficulties facing the Salek government multiplied and
soon proved to be insurmountable. His regime failed to overcome
Morocco's resistance to any settlement of the Western Sahara
conflict. The death of Algerian president Houari Boumediene in
December 1978 further heightened tensions. Also, Senegalese
president Leopold Senghor, who was displeased with Salek's ties
with Morocco, instigated a press campaign that highlighted racial
problems in Mauritania. Salek did little to ease the racial
problem when, in March 1979, he named eighty-one Maures and only
seventeen blacks to his new national advisory committee. Finally,
the French government lost confidence in Salek's ability to
extricate Mauritania from both the Western Sahara war and
Moroccan influence. Isolated and weak, Salek's government was
overthrown on April 6, 1979, by Colonel Ahmed Ould Bouceif and
Colonel Mohamed Khouna Haidalla, who formed the Military
Committee for National Salvation (Comité Militaire de Salut
National--CMSN). Salek, however, was permitted to remain in the
government as a figurehead president. In late May, Bouceif was
killed in an airplane crash; Haidalla was designated prime
minister, and Colonel Mohamed Louly was named president.
Data as of June 1988
|
|