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Mauritania's Ousted Government Promises to Resist Coup d'Etat

DW staff (th)August 12, 2008

Six days after a military coup d'etat in the Western African country of Mauritania, the deposed prime minister promised to lead a peaceful struggle to restore democracy.

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Mauritanian army soldiers keep watch from a vehicle
Mauritania's president has not been released by the militaryImage: picture-alliance/ dpa

Hours after Mauritania's Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waqef was freed from house arrest on Monday, Aug. 11, he held a rally promising to restore constitutional order. The country will not accept last week's military coup, the former prime minister told supporters.

The country's president, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, remains detained, his whereabouts unknown. Crowds chanted Abdallahi's name, held up posters bearing his photo and demanded the military returned to its barracks, Reuters news agency reported.

Waqef delivered a message on behalf of the country's president, thanking supporters for their "untiring fight."

"We are going to continue our peaceful struggle for the return of the president," he told Reuters at the rally.

Former colonial ruler France has announced that it is suspending aid to the country.