Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (; born 20 December 1956) Biografías de Líderes Políticos es un servicio de la Fundació CIDOB . Cidob.org (8 January 2009). Retrieved 12 July 2013. is a retired Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the 8th President of Mauritania from 2009 to 2019.
A career soldier and high-ranking officer, he was a leading figure in the August 2005 coup that ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, and later in August 2008, he led another coup, that removed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. After the 2008 coup, Mohamed became president of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election."Le Haut Conseil d'Etat rend public un nouveau communiqué" , AMI, 7 August 2008 . He resigned from that post in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election, which he won. He took office in August 2009."Mauritarian coup leader sworn in as president" , AFP, 5 August 2009. He was subsequently re-elected in 2014, then did not seek re-election in 2019. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who assumed office in August 2019.
Mohamed also held the role of chairman of the African Union from 2014 to 2015.
In June 2021, Mohamed was arrested and detained on charges of corruption. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in December 2023, which was extended to 15 years in May 2025.
Early life Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was born in Akjoujt on 20 December 1956. He joined the Meknes Royal Military Academy in Morocco in 1977, and, after a string of promotions, established the elite BASEP (Presidential Security Battalion). He played a key role in suppressing an attempted coup in June 2003 and a military uprising in August 2004.
He received Mauritania's highest military award for his role in stopping the 2004 uprising.Biographie du nouveau Président mauritanien , Taqadoumy – 6 August 2008.
2005 coup leader
A military coup on 3 August 2005, led by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Director-General of the Sûreté Nationale, and Colonel Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who was commander of the Presidential Guard (BASEP), overthrew President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. Colonel Mohamed was one of the main actors in the actual carrying out of this coup.Ethan Zuckerman (3 August 2005) Mauritanians report on today's coup , Global Voices Online.
At the time, Mohamed was described by a Western academic as a leader of a Mauritanian Nasserist group, pan-Arab secular nationalists. Western sources, citing Mohamed's background in coming from a traditionally favored Oulad Bou Sbaa Chorfa tribe,The Tribes and their ministries , themoornextdoor.wordpress.com (26 May 2008)Mohammed ould Abdelaziz: Curriculum Vitae . w-sahara.blogspot.com (6 August 2008). questioned the general's commitment to democracy and reversing the history of ethnic and class inequities in the nation.Political transition in Mauritania: Assessment and horizons: Middle East/North Africa Report N°53 (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY). International Crisis Group, 24 April 2005."That Ould Mohamed Vall and Ould Abdel Aziz belong to the same tribal group, one which was highly privileged under the old regime, raises the question whether they truly intend to change its clientelist patterns and could fuel political tensions before long."
Contrary to this, the Mauritanian press credited Mohamed for pushing to reduce military rule from 24 to 19 months and for attempting to limit voter fraud in the coming election.
Under President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi On 30 August 2007, President Sidi named Mohamed his Presidential Chief of Staff (Chef d'Etat-major particulier du Président de la République). Ould Abdel Aziz Chef d'état major particulier et Ould Mbarek médiateur de la république , Al Akhbar, 30 August 2007. Mohamed, now a General, continued to work closely with the President:L'ère des généraux après celle des colonels... , Ahmed Ould Soueidi, Le journal Challenge, 2007. at the end of February 2008 he served as a personal envoy of the President to King Mohammed VI of Morocco.Revue de Presse des Quotidiens Remarque: La revue de presse de lundi intègre celles de samedi et de dimanche. Celles des jours fériés sont inclues dans la Revue du jour ouvré suivant. 27 February 2008 General Mohamed was also commander of the forces sent to apprehend Group for Preaching and Combat militants who had killed four French tourists at Aleg in December 2007.
A May 2008 article contrasted Mohamed's continuing involvement at the center of political power with Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, who had left public life. Mohamed remained both Advisor to the President and General, and was described as being at the nexus of "a small galaxy of other colonels, businessmen and politicians, in an uneasy balance."Why Jihadis Heart Mauritania (Bled l-Moops) , aqoul.com, 25 May 2008.
A conflict with the President was clearly growing in June 2008. At the end of June, the left-wing UFP party reported that they believed Mohamed and Ghazouani were planning for a coup, but were attempting a strategy of political change by hiving "independent" parliamentarians off from the government, which would replace the President peacefully.Chantage au coup d'Etat , Union des Forces de Progrès – Mauritanie, Mohamed Baba 28 June 2008.
A mass defection in the ranks of the ruling PNDD-ADIL party on 4 August 2008 (two days before the coup) with 25 Parliamentary deputies and 23 senators was reported to have been inspired by military leaders, and would have left the president unable to govern. Conférence de Presse des démissionnaires de Adil (avec la Liste) , Taqadoumy, (via w-sahara.blogspot.com). 4 August 2008
2008 coup leader
6 August coup d'état
On 6 August 2008, Mohamed was ordered removed by Abdallahi from his command, along with several senior officers including General Muhammad Ould Al-Ghazwani, General Felix Negri, and Brigadier-General (Aqid) Ahmed Ould Bakri."Generals Seize Power in Mauritanian Coup" , The Media Line, 6 August 2008. The first announcement of the State Council was to annul this decree.
By 9:20 local time, BASEP troops seized the President, Prime Minister, and Interior Minister in the capital, Nouakchott. Mauritania television was taken off the air earlier, but Arabia-based al-Arabiya television played an announcement said to be from the new military junta. According to an official statement released on 7 August Sidi's powers were terminated and Mauritania would be governed on a transitional basis by an 11-member High Council of State, with Mohamed as the president of the council, until a new presidential election was held "as soon as possible".
Transition Public reaction to the 2008 coup by western governments in the days after 6 August were hostile,What next for Mauritania coup leaders? , James Copnall, BBC, 6 August 2008. with particularly harsh condemnation coming from former colonial power and past economic supporter France.Communiqué relatif à la situation en Mauritanie , President of France, Publié le 8 August 2007.Mauritania: the European Union warns the military junta of the serious risk of isolation in the international arena , French Foreign Ministry (13 August 2008) In the two weeks following the coup, Mohamed met with a number of foreign delegations, made personal phone calls to foreign leaders, and gave a number of press interviews to the international media.L'UE met en garde la junte en Mauritanie contre un risque d'"isolement", 13 August 2008 – AFPMauritania coup commander leads march in capital By AHMED MOHAMED and TODD PITMAN Associated Press Writers, 8 August 2008Mauritanian general defends coup , The Age, 11 August 2008Early Mauritania poll promised , Interview, Al Jazeera, 10 August 2008. In these he stated that his actions were legal, a response to "anti-constitutional" oppression by the previous government, and that although "forced to take power" he had no desire for power. He did not rule out running in the promised elections, however.Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz: « Nous avons été contraints de prendre le pouvoir ».10 August 2008 interviewed by Marianne Meunier. The General has given interviews to the BBC, French press, a number of North African publications, Senegalese publications, and even released candid photos of him speaking on the telephone with President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade. A Saudi-based newspaper claimed that the General was motivated by a combination of disgust at the corruption of those close to Abdallahi, but also over legal threats against Mohamed and others by the president regarding the behavior of the Mauritanian military during the mass expulsion of black Africans in 1989.Coup in Mauritanian: The Final Moments, Asharq Al-Awsat, 9 August 2008.
Mohamed's initial list of names for the High Council of State included five civilians, released on 7 August along with a statement that former government ministers could retain their jobs.Le "Conseil d'Etat" laisse les ministres mauritaniens en place . apanews.net Mauritanie : Accueil Actualité à la Une . Cridem.org. Retrieved 12 July 2013. By the end of the same day, this list had been revised, without public explanation, to include all military figures.Ould Daddah pose des conditions; M'baré et Ould Boulkheir sur la réserve. taqadoumy.com (7 August 2008)Un nouveau membre du HCE. taqadoumy.com (11 August 2008)Caricature du jour. Liste des membres du Haut Conseil d'Etat. taqadoumy.com (7 August 2008)Caricature du jour. Ould Boulkheir refuse de reconnaitre le Haut Conseil d'Etat. taqadoumy.com (11 August 2008). Two small demonstrations were held on the day following the coup: one opposing the seizure of power, which was dispersed by the police with tear gas, and one march supporting the military, at which Mohamed spoke. At that demonstration, marchers already carried life size photographs of Mohamed in military uniform.Ahmed Mohammed (7 August 2008) Mauritania coup chief leads march through capital , Mail & Guardian. mg.co.zaSupporters carry a poster of coup-leader Abdelaziz in Mauritania's capital Nouakchott , Reuters wire photos (2008). Within a week, a majority of the Mauritanian Parliament voted to authorize the coup, and on the 13th, Mohamed signed a decree appointing Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf as Prime Minister of Mauritania.Mauritanie: la junte nomme un diplomate Premier ministre, 8 jours après le putsch , 14 August 2008– NOUAKCHOTT (AFP).Une majorité de parlementaires et de maires soutiennent le coup d'Etat. 13 août 2008 – AFP. The Council stated that Mohamed had the power to appoint the prime minister, military officials and civil servants in Mauritania.Dangerous flirtations , Gamal Nkrumah, Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue No. 910, 14–20 August 2008.junta issues decree specifying powers , Kuwait Times, 13 August 2008.
Stabilization Neighboring support was somewhat forthcoming, with Morocco's government press calling Mohamed a patriot,Editorial, Préserver la stabilité mauritanienne , Le Matin, Morocco 6 August 2008. an advisor of the Moroccan king coming to Nouakchott to meet with Mohamed, Le Maroc, vers la reconnaissance des Généraux? , Bladi & Aujourd'hui le Maroc, 13 August. and Libya and Senegal eventually pronounced their support for the new government. In contrast, the Algerian government has stridently opposed the coup, even while quietly receiving a visit from Mohamed's close ally and the new Mauritanian Chief of Armed Forces, Muhammad Ould Al-Ghazwani, Bouteflika n'a jamais refusé de voir les émissaires mauritaniens 13 August 2008. and has attempted to rally the African Union and Arab states against Mohamed.