Mauritania leader says recovering well

2012-10-26 11:14

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. (AFP, File)

ññññNouakchott - Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Thursday assured the nation he is recovering well after being shot by a soldier earlier this month in what has been described by government as an accident.

In a televised address to mark the celebration on Friday of the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, known as Eid El-Kebir in Mauritania, Abdel Aziz thanked the country's citizens for "the compassion and solidarity following the recent accident of which I was a victim".

"I assure them that all is well," said Aziz in a written message read out by a journalist, "on this religious occasion which inspires in us the great human values of sacrifice and courage which we express with unity, solidarity and co-operation".

Aziz is recovering, in a military hospital in France, from a bullet wound to the arm which he sustained when he was "accidentally" shot at by a member of the army on 13 October.

The opposition has raised doubts over the official version of the story.

The Mauritanian leader will return home on Sunday, according to his entourage.

The man who shot Abdel Aziz, Lieutenant Elhaj Ould H'Moudy, has not been punished for opening fire as the president's vehicle sped away after he had indicated the vehicle should stop.

- AFP