Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall ( ar, إعلي ولد محمد فال ''I‘lī Wald Muḥammad Fāl''; 1953 – 5 May 2017) was a Mauritanian political and military figure. Following a coup d'état in August 2005, he served as the transitional military leader of Mauritania until 19 April 2007, when he relinquished power to an elected government.
Life and career
Born in Nouakchott in 1953, Vall was a long-time ally of President Maaouya Ould Taya, and participated in the December 1984 coup that brought Ould Taya himself to power. Prior to the 2005 coup, he had been director of the national police force, the '' Sûreté Nationale'', since 1987.
On 3 August 2005, Ould Taya was ousted in a bloodless military coup while he was out of the country."Army seizes power to end "totalitarian regime"" IRIN, August 3, 2005. A group of officers took power as the
Military Council for Justice and Democracy
The Military Council for Justice and Democracy ( ar, المجلس العسكري للعدالة والديمقراطية; french: Conseil Militaire pour la Justice et la Démocratie, CMJD) was a supreme political body of Mauritania. It served as th ...
and announced that Vall was the head of the council."New military rulers face worldwide condemnation" IRIN, August 4, 2005. He did not take the title of President because he said it should be reserved for elected leaders.Heidi Vogt Associated Press (''The Washington Post''), April 23, 2006.
The new regime, condemning Ould Taya's government as "totalitarian", promised to lead the country to elections and the restoration of civilian rule within two years; a referendum on a new constitution was planned to be held within a year, and parliamentary and presidential elections would follow. Vall and the other members of the military council agreed not to run for president.Hademine Ould Sadi "Mauritania's new junta keeps on winning friends" , Middle East Online, August 8, 2005.
The coup was welcomed by a part of the population, but outside the country there was sharp condemnation. The
African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
(which suspended Mauritania's membership), the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
,
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
Secretary General
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...
, and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
all condemned the coup. However, this opposition weakened after several days and the regime appeared to win tacit international acceptance.
Vall maintained Mauritania's diplomatic relationship with
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Mauritania and Israel initiated full diplomatic relations in 1999 under Taya, a decision which contributed to the latter's unpopularity. After the coup,
Ahmed Ould Sid'Ahmed
Ahmed Ould Sid'Ahmed (born August 11, 1949 at AMI website .) is a
Parliamentary and local elections were held on November 19, 2006, which Vall praised as "the first time Mauritanians have been able to express themselves freely"; he also said that the difficulty of changing the constitution would preserve democracy in the future. Vall announced that he would step down after the March 2007 presidential election. The election was ultimately won by Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi in the second round of voting. Abdallahi's opponents alleged that his candidacy was supported by Vall's regime."Mauritania has a new president" AFP (''IOL''), March 26, 2007. Prior to the handover, Mauritania was allowed back into the African Union on April 10. On April 19, Abdallahi took office, completing the transition to civilian democratic rule.
The military under General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz seized power again in August 2008, ousting Abdallahi, and a new
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The p ...
was planned. Vall announced on 6 June 2009 that he would be a candidate, running as an independent. He condemned the 2008 coup, asserting that it was "wrong and there was no reason for it" and that it had "provoked a particularly dangerous situation in our country". He stressed, however, that his candidacy was not directed against any particular individual, and he said that his goal, if elected, was "to build a reconciled country that is politically and economically viable and stable". He also said that he would "probably no longer be interested in public affairs" if not for the 2008 coup.
Official results showed Vall performing poorly in the election, which was held on 18 July 2009, while Abdel Aziz won a majority in the first round. At a press conference on 30 July, Vall said that the election was merely a means of legitimizing the 2008 coup and that it had effectively reverted the country to the authoritarianism it had experienced under President Taya. He also said that he would continue to struggle against Abdel Aziz's regime.
Vall was a board member of the
Arab Democracy Foundation
The Arab Democracy Foundation (ADF) is an independent international Arab civil society organization advocating democracy as a culture, a way of life, and the best system for good governance. ADF was established on May 27, 2007, at the initiative o ...
. He was also a member of the Fondation Chirac's honour committee, ever since the foundation was launched in 2008 by former French president
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a Politics of France, French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to ...
in order to promote world peace.
Vall died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
on 5 May 2017 at
Zouérat
Zouérat ( ar, الزويرات) is the largest town in northern Mauritania and the capital of Tiris Zemmour region, with an approximate population of 44,649 (2013). It lies at the eastern end of the Mauritania Railway to Nouadhibou.
History
...