Saleh Ould Hanenna (born on September 20, 1965) is a former Mauritanian soldier and political figure.
Saleh Ould Hanenna served in the Mauritanian Army and rose to the rank of Major before being officially dismissed in 2000.
In June 2003, he led an attempted coup, aiming to overthrow President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. He commanded a rebel section of the Army during two days of heavy fighting in Nouakchott which caused the death of dozens of people. With the complete failure of the coup, Ould Hanenna initially escaped capture, and formed an opposition group called the "Knights of Change" with former officer Mohamed Ould Cheikhna, but he was captured and arrested on October 9, 2004."MAURITANIA: Government arrests mastermind behind coup plots", IRIN Africa, October 12, 2004.
The Government of Mauritania accused Saleh Ould Hanenna of attempting to organize coups on two further occasions, in August and September 2004, with the alleged backing of Libya and Burkina Faso. A death sentence was initially recommended at his subsequent trial, but he was instead given life imprisonment at the conclusion of the trial on February 3, 2005."Mauritania coup trial ends with 84 guilty verdicts" , Middle East Online, February 3, 2005.
In August 2005, Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall led a successful coup in the country that ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. The Military Council for Justice and Democracy (CMJD) which subsequently took charge of the government released Ould Hanenna in a general amnesty in early September."MAURITANIA: Junta declares general amnesty for political prisoners", IRIN, September 5, 2005.
On January 9, 2007, Ould Hanenna, the president of the Mauritanian Union for Change (HATEM), was unanimously chosen by that party's executive committee as its candidate in the March 2007 presidential election."Le parti "Hatem" présente M. Salah Ould Hanena, candidat aux élections présidentielles" , Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, January 9, 2007 . He took sixth position in the poll, with 7.65% of the votes cast,"Le conseil constitutionnel proclame les résultats du premier tour de l'élection présidentielles du 11 mars 2007", Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, March 15, 2007 . and subsequently backed Ahmed Ould Daddah for the second round."The two run-off candidates continue to woo the Mauritanian voters", African Press Agency, March 16, 2007.
Ould Hanenna served as President of the Coordination of Democratic Opposition, a political coalition made up of parties opposed to General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz led government in Mauritania.Mauritania Opposition Demands Election After President Is Shot, Bloomberg Business Week, November 2, 2012.
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