BBC NEWS | Africa | Mauritania 'foils' coup attempt

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href="http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2974006.stm" class="epl" target="Printer"> <img height="11" hspace="3" align="left" vspace="0" border="0" width="17" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/print.gif" /> Printable version </a></td> </tr></table></div> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="629" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td colspan="3"><div class="mxb"><div class="sh"><b>Mauritania 'foils' coup attempt</b><br /></div></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <font size="2">   <table cellspacing="0" align="right" border="0" width="203" cellpadding="0"> <tr><td> <div> <img height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="203" alt="Celebrations on a Nouakchott street (al Jazeera TV)" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39140000/jpg/_39140216_maur203.jpg" /> <div class="cap">Celebrations on a Nouakchott street</div> </div> </td></tr> </table>  <p> <b>Mauritania's president has praised loyal troops for putting down an attempted coup, in his first broadcast since fighting erupted on Sunday morning. </b> <p> Earlier troops had retaken the centre of the capital, Nouakchott, from mysterious rebel forces after heavy fighting. <p> 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". <p> "As I speak, the operation is complete," he announced in a radio and television broadcast. <p>Some residents have begun celebrating, blasting car horns and shouting "Viva Maaouiya, viva Maaouiya". <p>  <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="sibf" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tr> <td class="sibt"> <div class="sih"> MAURITANIA </div> <div class="o"> <img height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="203" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39135000/gif/_39135658_mauritania2_203map.gif" /> </div> <div class="mva"><div class="bull"> Dominated by light-skinned Arabic-speakers (Moors) </div> <div class="bull"> Campaigners say slavery still practised </div> <div class="bull"> Black Africans complain of discrimination </div> <div class="bull"> Mostly Sahara desert </div> <div class="bull"> Islamic Republic </div> <div class="bull"> Recognises Israel </div> </div> <div class="o"> <img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="2" border="0" width="203" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif" /><br /> </div> <div class="miiib">  <div class="arr"><a href="/2/hi/africa/2974816.stm"> <b>Q&A: Mauritania's murky coup attempt</b> </a></div>  </div> </td> </tr> </table>  <p> 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. <p> <p>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. <p> He is now reported to be in hiding with two other captains. Other mutineers are said to be arrested. <p> Other mutineers are said to be being held by loyalists. <p> <b>Hospitals struggling</b> <p> Hospitals have been struggling to cope with the casualties and many residents fled their homes during the fighting. <p> Earlier in the day there were reports of heavy government reinforcements entering Nouakchott from the north. <p> There are also unconfirmed reports that senior commanders on both sides were killed in the fighting. <p> The insurgents were believed to have taken key government buildings on Sunday. <p> During the fighting, the president's whereabouts was unknown, with President Taya's staff only saying that they were in a "safe place". <p> <b>Deserted streets</b> <p> The rebellion began early on Sunday, when tank and small arms fire was heard around the presidential palace and at the airport. <p>  <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="sibf" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tr> <td class="sibt"> <div> <div class="mva"> <img height="13" border="0" width="24" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote.gif" /> <b> I have decided to lock everyone inside, all members of my family, because we are too scared to go out </b> <img height="13" align="right" vspace="0" border="0" width="23" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote.gif" /><br clear="all" /> </div> </div> <div class="mva"> <div> Nouakchott resident </div> </div> </td> </tr> </table>  Later smoke was seen rising from the palace, thought to have been taken by the insurgents. There were also reports of widespread looting. <p> There were unconfirmed reports that the army chief-of-staff, Colonel Mohammed Lamine Ndiayane, was killed in Sunday's fighting. <p> Most people in Nouakchott barricaded themselves in their homes. <p> "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. <p> <b>Deep divisions</b> <p> Several reports suggested the rebels are sympathetic to Iraq. <p><p>  <table cellspacing="0" align="right" border="0" width="203" cellpadding="0"> <tr><td> <div> <img height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="203" alt="Tank on Nouakchott street" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39136000/jpg/_39136968_tanks_aljazeera_203.jpg" /> <div class="cap">Nouakchott has been a city under siege</div> </div> </td></tr> </table>  <p> 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. <p> 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.<p> <p> Mauritania is deeply divided between three main groups - light-skinned, Arabic-speakers, the descendents of slaves and dark-skinned speakers of West African languages. <p>  </font> <br /><br /> <div class="mvtb"><table width="416" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr> <td width="213"><a onClick="popUpPage('http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/email/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2974006.stm','status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=370,height=445','Mailer')" href="http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/email/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2974006.stm" class="epl" target="Mailer"> <img height="11" hspace="3" align="left" vspace="0" border="0" width="17" alt="" 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Simpson</b><br />"The battle for control of the capital and the country is not yet over"<br clear="all" /><img height="13" hspace="0" vspace="5" border="0" width="60" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/audionews.gif" /></a><br /><img height="2" vspace="2" border="0" width="203" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/336699.gif" /><br /> <img height="10" width="1" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" /><br /> <div class="sah"> SEE ALSO: </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/2/hi/africa/2974816.stm"> Q&A: Mauritania's murky coup </a> <br /> <span class="sad"> 09 Jun 03  |  Africa </span> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/2/hi/africa/2415967.stm"> Mauritania 'still practising' slavery </a> <br /> <span class="sad"> 07 Nov 02  |  Africa </span> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/2/hi/africa/1611619.stm"> Mauritania ruling party wins easily </a> <br /> <span class="sad"> 21 Oct 01  |  Africa </span> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/791083.stm"> Country profile: Mauritania </a> <br /> <span class="sad"> 24 May 03  |  Country profiles </span> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/2483315.stm"> Timeline: Mauritania </a> <br /> <span class="sad"> 16 Nov 02  |  Country profiles </span> </div> <img height="2" hspace="0" vspace="3" border="0" width="203" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999966.gif" /><br /> <img height="10" width="1" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" /><br /> <div class="nlp"> RELATED BBCi LINKS: </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/networkafrica/index.shtml"> Network Africa </a> </div> <img height="5" width="1" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" /><br /> <div class="nlp"> RELATED INTERNET LINKS: </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="http://www.mauritania.mr/"> Mauritanian Government </a> </div> <div class="di"> The BBC is not responsible for the 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BBC NEWS | Africa | Mauritania 'foils' coup attempt