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August 9, 2005
Puppets, Pledges and Cholera. . .A Mauritania Update
The military junta of Mauritania has begun freeing Islamist extremists jailed by the deposed civilian government.
Additionally, they've "selected" a civilian Prime Minister. Looks like their promises of "democratic reforms" have been quickly forgotten. I expect the junta will quickly stack all government posts with strict Islamists. They've already disbanded the civilian parliament are expected to stack this body quickly as well.
The junta has also sent a new representative to the U.N. who has presented his credentials to Kofi Annan. It will be interesting to see whether Annan and the U.N. will accept this new representative, and whether the deposed civilian government will have representation retained as a "government in exile". The African Union still condemns the coup and demands the return of the constitutional civilian government, although they are scheduled to begin talks with the leaders of the coup to try and resolve the issue.
Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade has pledged support for the junta and plans to continue normal relations. In other words, the African Union has already split.
Finally, to add insult to injury, there are reports of a cholera outbreak in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott.
Not good.
--Jason
Previous Posts on Mauritania:
Conflicting Thoughts. . .
Military coup in Mauritania. . .
State Department Press Briefing excerpt.
Posted by JasonColeman at August 9, 2005 11:09 PM
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