A group of army officers in Mauritania overthrow President Maaoya Sid'Ahmed Taya in an apparently bloodless coup d'etat Wednesday, announcing a military junta would rule the Islamic nation for up to two years.
Taya, who himself seized power in a coup two decades ago, was out of the country at the time. He arrived Wednesday in nearby Niger from Saudi Arabia, where he had travelled on Monday for the funeral of King Fahd.
Trouble began at dawn, when presidential guard troops took control of the national radio and television stations, cutting broadcasts and seizing a building housing the army chief of staff headquarters.
Cabinet ministers and army officials either could not be reached or refused to comment. No private broadcasters are allowed to operate in the tightly controlled desert nation.
The group of army officers issued a statement through the state-run news agency. They identified themselves as the Military Council for Justice and Democracy.
In Niger's capital, Niamey, Taya refused comment.
He held talks at the airport with Niger President Mamadou Tandja, but did not speak to reporters and security forces kept journalists at a distance. He later travelled to a villa in Niamey, where officials said he might stay for several days.
Earlier in Nouakchott, a short burst of automatic gunfire was heard near the presidential palace, where three anti-aircraft truck batteries were set up at midmorning. No casualties were reported.
Source: China Daily
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