Coup unrest grips Mauritania
2005-08-03 12:38
Nouakchott - Gunshots were reported to be heard on Wednesday near the presidential palace in Nouakchott amid repeated reports of a possible military coup.
The Arab news channel al-Arabiya reported gunshots were heard near the presidential palace.
Earlier, heavily armed Mauritanian army and presidential guards were deployed around strategic locations in the Mauritanian capital.
Eyewitnesses reported a heavily-armed military presence in Nouakchott, including anti-aircraft units.
It was not clear whether the troops were taking part in, or foiling, an attempted military coup.
A Mauritanian opposition exile in Paris, Badi Weld Ebno, told al-Jazeera television that "officers made a successful coup against the current regime."
Mauritanian President Mouawiya Weld Tayeh is currently in Riyadh on a visit to pay condolences on the death of King Fahd.
Earlier, al-Jazeera television reported the army and presidential guards "reseizing control" of the Television and Radio building in the capital.
The official Mauritanian satellite channel, along with most Arab channels, is observing a three-day mourning period for King Fahd, broadcasting Qur'anic verses.
Tayeh loyalists foiled two coup attempts in 2004 and a third in 2003. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA