Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mu'awiya al-Taya
معاوية الطايع
Al-Taya in 2003
5th President of Mauritania
In office 12 December 1984 – 3 August 2005
Preceded by	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Succeeded by	Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
5th Prime Minister of Mauritania
In office 25 April 1981 – 8 March 1984
Preceded by	Sid'Ahmed Bneijara
Succeeded by	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
In office 12 December 1984 – 18 April 1992
Preceded by	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Succeeded by	Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar
Chief of Army Staff
In office 15 July 1980 – 26 March 1981
Preceded by	Ahmedou Ould Abdallah
Succeeded by	Yall Abdoulaye Alassane
In office 8 March 1984 – 12 December 1984
Preceded by	Yall Abdoulaye Alassane
Succeeded by	Ahmedou Ould Abdallah
Personal details
Born	(1941-11-28) 28 November 1941 (age 83) Atar, French Mauritania
Political party	Democratic Republican Party for Renewal (PRDS)
Military service
Branch/service	Mauritanian Army
Years of service	1961–1992
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	Western Sahara War

Mu'awiya Ould Sid'Ahmed al-Taya (born 28 November 1941) is a military officer and politician from Mauritania. He was the President of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. He also served as the fifth Prime Minister of Mauritania from 1981 to 1992, with a short break in 1984.

Al-Taya was born in Atar, which was then part of French Mauritania. He studied at French military schools. He took part in the Western Sahara War against the Polisario Front. In July 1980, he became the Chief of the Army Staff. Then, in April 1981, he was made Prime Minister after a failed attempt to overthrow the leader, Mohamed Haidalla.

Al-Taya became president through a peaceful military takeover. He won the 2003 elections but was removed from power by another military takeover in 2005. During his time as president, he focused on policies that supported Arab nationalism and built stronger ties with the United States. He also had close connections with Saddam Hussein of Iraq and supported Iraq during the Gulf War.

Early Life and Education

Mu'awiya Ould Sidi Ahmed al-Taya was born on 28 November 1941 in Atar. At that time, Atar was part of French Mauritania. He went to a Franco-Arabic Primary School from 1949 to 1955. After that, he attended Rosso High School in southern Mauritania.

In 1960, he went to a French military school and became an officer the next year. In 1975, he received special training at the French war academy.

In 1978, the Mauritanian Army overthrew Moktar Ould Daddah. He was the first President of Mauritania. This happened because of the Western Sahara War against the Polisario Front. Al-Taya was part of this group and quickly became important in the government.

Presidency (1984–2005)

After holding several military jobs, al-Taya became the Chief of Staff of the Army in July 1980. This was during the time when Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla was the military head of state.

In March 1981, there was a failed attempt to overthrow Haidalla. After this, al-Taya was appointed Prime Minister on 25 April 1981. He replaced the civilian Prime Minister, Sid'Ahmed Ould Bneijara. He held this job until 8 March 1984. At that point, Haidalla, who was still the head of state, took over the Prime Minister role himself.

On 12 December 1984, while Haidalla was out of the country, al-Taya took control. He declared himself the Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN).

In October 1987, al-Taya's military government said they found a plan for a military takeover. This plan was supposedly by a group of black army officers, with support from Senegal. Several officers were arrested and questioned.

Mauritania–Senegal Border Conflict

Site of the Mauritania–Senegal border conflict.

Differences between Mauritanian society, seen as either black or Arab, became clear again in April 1989. This happened during violence between communities. This tension grew when a border dispute between Mauritania and Senegal turned violent.

Even before the conflict, al-Taya and Abdou Diouf, the president of Senegal, had disagreements. This was after dams were built on the Senegal River. Al-Taya claimed that Senegalese officials refused to build river harbors. This made it harder for Mauritania to use its phosphate resources.

Increased ethnic tensions helped start the Mauritania–Senegal Border War. The conflict began because of a dispute in Diawara between Mauritanian herders and Senegalese farmers over grazing land. The border between Senegal and Mauritania was then closed, and the two countries stopped talking to each other officially.

As the conflict continued, some Fula and Soninke people were arrested. Al-Taya's government started a military investigation before passing a law that granted forgiveness.

In July 1991, presidents Diouf and al-Taya agreed to stop fighting. On 18 July, Senegal and Mauritania signed a Peace treaty. This ended the Mauritania–Senegal border conflict. On 2 May 1992, the borders reopened for everyone.

Foreign Policy and Arab Nationalism

In the late 1980s, al-Taya worked closely with Iraq. He followed a strong policy of Arab nationalism. Mauritania became more isolated internationally. Tensions with Western countries grew a lot after Mauritania supported Iraq during the Gulf War. This happened even though France had supported Mauritania with aid from 1984 to 1987.

Transition to a Multi-Party System

Al-Taya's government started to move towards a civilian, multi-party government in 1991. A new Constitution was approved by a public vote in July.

The first multi-party presidential elections were held in January 1992. Al-Taya was the candidate for the new Democratic and Social Republican Party (PRDS). He received almost 63% of the votes. However, opposition groups claimed there were serious problems and cheating.

He won slightly more than 90% of the votes in the next presidential election on 12 December 1997. Major opposition political parties did not take part in this election. They said that participating would be pointless because they expected cheating.

Later Years in Office

The last years of al-Taya's rule were marked by problems within the military. There was also tension between his government and the country's Islamists. Al-Taya changed his stance from supporting the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War. He then moved towards closer ties with Western countries.

On 28 October 1999, Mauritania joined Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan. It became the fourth member of the Arab League to officially recognize Israel. By doing this, al-Taya formally ended a declared war on Israel that began with the Six-Day War in June 1967.

During his time as leader, al-Taya also started working with the United States on anti-terrorism activities. This policy was criticized by some human rights groups. His increasing ties with Israel and the United States made more people oppose his rule.

In June 2003, al-Taya's government survived an attempt to overthrow it. They defeated rebel soldiers after two days of heavy fighting in the capital, Nouakchott. The leader of the coup, Saleh Ould Hanenna, at first escaped. Ould Hanenna announced a rebel group called "the Knights of Change." He was later caught in October 2004 and sentenced to life in prison in early 2005.

On 7 November 2003, a presidential election was held. Al-Taya won with over 67% of the votes. The opposition again said the result was unfair. The candidate who came in second, former ruler Ould Haidalla, was arrested both before and after the election. He was accused of planning a coup.

In August 2004, the government arrested more people they said were planning a coup. They claimed these people planned to overthrow al-Taya when he traveled to France. However, some people doubted this plot existed and thought it was an excuse for a crackdown. In late September, the government said they stopped yet another plot to remove al-Taya.

Al-Taya expected government income to increase from natural resources, especially offshore oil. So, in November 2004, he announced a pay raise for government workers and pensions.

Overthrow and Exile

In early August 2005, al-Taya was out of the country for the funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. While he was away, soldiers took control of government buildings and state media. The group called itself the Military Council for Justice and Democracy (CMJD). They announced a coup d'état in a statement on 3 August. They said: "The armed forces and security forces have decided to end the harsh rule of the old government, which caused our people much suffering."

The new military dictatorship said it would rule for a maximum of two years. This time would be used to set up democratic systems. The Military Council for Justice and Democracy named Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall as its head. Vall had been a close helper of al-Taya for many years.

Al-Taya was removed from power while attending the funeral of Saudi King Fahd (1921–2005).

Al-Taya, on his way back from Fahd's funeral, landed in Niamey, the capital of Niger. He met Niger's president Mamadou Tandja before going to a house in Niamey. Speaking to Radio France Internationale on 5 August, al-Taya criticized the coup. He said it was "the most senseless coup in Africa."

On 8 August, he tried to order the armed forces to put him back in power, but it did not work. Many people across the country seemed to support the coup. Al-Taya's own party, PRDS, stopped supporting him a few days after the coup. They supported the new government's plan for change.

At first, other countries strongly opposed al-Taya's removal. Mauritania was even suspended from the African Union. But after a few days, the new leaders seemed to gain quiet acceptance from other countries for their temporary government. The United States, for example, first called for al-Taya to be put back in power. But they later changed their mind.

After Presidency

He left Niger for Banjul, Gambia, on 9 August 2005. After almost two weeks there, he and his family flew to Qatar. They arrived there on 22 August.

In April 2006, Vall said that al-Taya could return home as a free citizen. However, he would not be allowed to take part in the elections that would end the temporary government. Vall said this was because his participation could disrupt the process. But Vall also said he could return to politics after the transition was complete.

In the March 2007 presidential election, al-Taya is believed to have supported former Central Bank Governor Zeine Ould Zeidane.

In late 2013, al-Taya was appointed as a teacher at the Ahmed Bin Mohammad Military School. This is a military academy in Qatar.

Sources

See also

In Spanish: Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya para niños