Mustafa Ould Salek facts for kids

Mustafa Ould Salek was a military officer and politician from Mauritania. He was born in 1936 and passed away on December 18, 2012. He served as the President of Mauritania from 1978 to 1979. He became the country's leader after a military takeover.

Mustafa Ould Salek's Early Career

Mustafa Ould Salek became an important army commander in February 1978. He was appointed by the then-President of Mauritania, Moktar Ould Daddah. At this time, Mauritania was facing big economic problems. The country was also struggling with a conflict in Western Sahara.

Mauritania had joined with Morocco in 1975 to invade Western Sahara. They were fighting against the Polisario Front, a group of Sahrawi guerrillas. These guerrillas were fighting for the independence of Western Sahara.

Leading the Country

On July 10, 1978, Mustafa Ould Salek led a military coup. A coup is when a group, usually the military, takes control of a country's government by force. He removed President Daddah from power.

After the coup, Ould Salek became the head of a group of 20 military officers. This group was called the Military Committee for National Recovery (CMRN). This committee then ruled Mauritania.

Challenges During His Presidency

Mustafa Ould Salek faced many challenges as president. He was seen as friendly towards France. He also wanted to keep Mauritania's alliance with Morocco. However, he found it difficult to make peace with the Polisario Front.

The Polisario Front had stopped fighting when President Daddah was removed. They hoped Mauritania would leave the conflict peacefully. But Ould Salek could not reach an agreement with them.

He also faced problems with different groups of people in Mauritania. There were tensions between Black people from the south and Arab Moors from the north. Ould Salek, who was a Moor, was seen as favoring his own group. This made him increasingly isolated within the government.

End of His Leadership

Because of these challenges, Mustafa Ould Salek's power began to weaken. On April 6, 1979, other military leaders staged a second coup. Colonels Ahmed Ould Bouceif and Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla led this new takeover.

Ould Salek's role was reduced to a figurehead president. This means he was still called president, but he had little real power. A new group, the Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN), took over. In May 1979, Colonel Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly officially replaced him as president.

Later Life

Mustafa Ould Salek was imprisoned for a period between 1981 and 1984. Later, he tried to become president again. He ran as an independent candidate in the 1992 Mauritanian presidential election. However, he only received a small percentage of the votes, about 2.9%. He passed away in a hospital in Paris, France, at the age of 76.

See also

In Spanish: Mustafa Ould Salek para niños