Coup leader warned president

2008-08-10 16:47

Nouakchott - The leader of the coup that toppled Mauritania's first democratically elected president said over the weekend that the president had been warned of the consequences of trying to oust military chiefs.

"I telephoned him (President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi) personally to explain to him the gravity of his decree and suggest he postpone it to avoid the worst," General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said in an interview on the Al-Jazeera television channel.

On Wednesday Aziz, the former head of Mauritania's presidential guard, led a coup against Abdallahi after he tried to make changes in the military leadership.

"I explained to him how it could have serious consequences, how it could lead to military engagements, death and destruction ... and that it would be best to reconsider his decision, but he was stubborn," said Aziz.

"It was our duty to remind him of his humanitarian responsibilities to try to dissuade him but he chose to ignore us, just as he tried to destroy the country and block its institutions," he added.

The leader of the putsch accused Abdallahi of really being the one trying to stage a coup by trying to push through the order to sack the military leadership outside of normal procedures.

He also accused Abdallahi of corruption, saying they had compromising documents signed by him.

The coup has been widely condemned by the international community even though the new military junta has promised to quickly hold "fair and transparent" elections.

The African Union on Saturday suspended Mauritania from the bloc following the coup.

- AFP