The 1979 Mauritanian coup d'état was a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

coup in

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

which took place on 6 April 1979. The coup was led by Colonel

Ahmed Ould Bouceif Lt. Col. Ahmed Ould Bouceif ( ar, أحمد ولد بوسيف, 1934 – 27 May 1979) was a Mauritanian military and political leader. In April 1979, he seized power in a coup d'état together with Col. Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah and other offic ...

and Colonel

Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla Ret. Col. Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah ( ar, محمد خونا ولد هيداله ''Muḥammad Khouna Wald Haidallah'') (born 1940) was the head of state of Mauritania (Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation, CMSN) from 4 Ja ...

, who seized power from the President, Colonel

Mustafa Ould Salek Col. Mustafa Ould Salek ( ar, المصطفى ولد محمد السالك; ‎ 1936 – 18 December 2012) was the President of Mauritania from 1978 through 1979. Biography Mustafa Ould Salek was appointed army commander by longtime Pres ...

, and the 20-member ruling

Military Committee for National Recovery The Military Committee for National Recovery ( ar, المجلس العسكري للإنعاش الوطني; french: Comité Militaire de Redressement National, CMRN) was a short-lived military government of Mauritania after the coup d'état that ...

(CMRN), a

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...

which was created following an earlier coup in 1978. The coup resulted in the dismissal of the CMRN and the formation of the 24-member

Military Committee for National Salvation The Military Committee for National Salvation ( ar, المجلس العسكري للخلاص الوطني; french: Comité Militaire de Salut National, CMSN) was a military Politics of Mauritania, government of Mauritania that took power in the 197 ...

(CMSN), a new junta initially under the presidency of Salek as a

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...

, until his resignation on 3 June. He was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel

Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly Lt. Col. Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly ( ar, محمد محمود ولد أحمد لولي‎; 1 January 1943 – 16 March 2019) was the President of Mauritania This is a list of heads of state of Mauritania since the country gained independe ...

. Bouceif was appointed Prime Minister, and served until his death in an airplane crash in

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

on 27 May. He was succeeded by Haidalla on 31 May."Mauritania: The Haidalla Regime"
''

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Country Studies''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1979 Mauritanian coup d'etat Military coups in Mauritania 1970s coups d'état and coup attempts History of Mauritania Coup Conflicts in 1979 April 1979 events in Africa