The 1981 Mauritanian coup d'état attempt was a violent coup attempt 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 16 March 1981."MAURITANIA REPORTS IT HAS FOILED AN ATTEMPTED COUP BY 2 EXILES"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', March 17, 1981. The coup attempt, staged by elements of the

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 ...

and opposition

Alliance for a Democratic Mauritania The Alliance for a Democratic Mauritania (French, ''Alliance pour une Mauritanie démocratique'', AMD) was a Mauritanian clandestine opposition movement. The AMD was organized in May 1980, around former President Moktar Ould Daddah, after he had g ...

(AMD) movement, was led by Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Salim Ould Sidi and Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Abdelkader, and resulted in heavy fighting in the capital

Nouakchott , image_skyline = Nouakchott.jpg , image_caption = City view of Nouakchott , pushpin_map = Mauritania#Arab world#Africa , pushpin_relief = 1 , mapsize = , map_caption ...

, before conspirators were defeated by troops loyal to the Head of State ( CMSN chairman), 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 Janu ...

. Abdelkader (former

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

commander) was killed in the fighting, while Sidi (former CMSN vice chairman) was subsequently executed. On 25 April, Haidalla and the CMSN decided to replace the fledgling civilian government of

Sid Ahmed Ould Bneijara Sid Ahmed Ould Bneijara (1947 – 30 August 2017) was the 4th Prime Minister of Mauritania from December 12, 1980 to April 25, 1981. Biography He had a short term as the governor of Central Bank of Mauritania in summer 1978. He was first appointe ...

(appointed on 12 December 1980"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'') with a six-member military government headed by Colonel

Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya ( ar, معاوية ولد سيد أحمد الطايع, Ma‘āwiyah wuld Sīdi Aḥmad aṭ-Ṭāya‘ / Mu'awiya walad Sayyidi Ahmad Taya; born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer who served as the P ...

."Career Soldier Takes Over As Premier of Mauritania"
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'', April 27, 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981 Mauritanian coup d'etat attempt Military coups in Mauritania 1980s coups d'état and coup attempts History of Mauritania Coup attempt Conflicts in 1981 March 1981 events in Africa Attempted coups d'état in Mauritania