Background
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was born probably in 1941 in the town Atar in northern Mauritania.
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was born probably in 1941 in the town Atar in northern Mauritania.
He completed a Franco-Arabic Primary School in his home town.
He completed high school of Rosso in the south of the country, from 1960 to 1978, he studied in France in the War College and in the Military Academy.
After returning home Taya immediately received high office - he was appointed minister of defense. Later he occupied other positions of influence: he was the Chief of Police, Chief of the General Staff and in 1981 he became prime minister. On December 12, 1984 Taya, being commander of Mauritanian’s army and the National Salvation Army, made a bloodless military upheaval, and by the decision of the Military Committee was appointed in charge of the state.
Maaouya Taya said: "The World today is becoming a city of a global scale, where distances are shortened due to scientific and technological progress, the development of infrastructure telecommunications and information; it should correct the imbalance of the increasing gap between rich and poor countries."
REBELS: HUNGRY OFFICERS OR DISSATISFIED ISLAMISTS?
The first thing Maaouya Taya did when he came to power, was the restoration of multiparty system in the country. And only after that in January 1992, the presidential election was scheduled. Taya won with 63 percent of the vote.
A similar situation occurred when Taya was elected for a further six-year term in December 1997 (according to official data, he received more than 90 percent of the votes cast).
In June 2003 before the next presidential elections in Mauritania, in the capital Nouakchott survived a coup attempt. Twenty tanks with rebels assaulted the presidential palace, the airport, the building of the national radio and television. During violent fighting the rebellion, headed by retired colonel Saleh Ould Hanenna who was associated with a group of officers, in the form of an ultimatum demanded that the president should increase the wages and improve living conditions. But it was suppressed. In any case, default on their commitments is considered the reason of the rebels’ failure.
However, analysts are paying attention to the politically hidden motive of the rebellion, considering this a reaction of the geared up radical Islamists on the pro-Western orientation of the president, who has close economic relations with France and the United States what violates the decision of the League of Arab States (Mauritania is its member), establishing in 1999, diplomatic relations with these countries. The colonel Saleh Ould Hanin was suspected of sympathizing with Saddam Hussein's regime and pro-Islamic mood, he actively opposed the establishment of ties with Tel Aviv. It is likely that the desire to remove the "Sold to the West" President was the reason of the irreconcilable Muslim’s uprising. He hadn’t been asked this question, after the suppression of the rebellion, he escaped. On August 2004, another coup attempt in Mauritania was suppressed. Who knows, if it had been former colonel’s Hanina actions?
On 7 November 2003 a presidential election was held, which was won by the incumbent president. "Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya – is the person performing an important mission for the withdrawal of his country's plight and turn it into one of the most developed country in the region" – in such way analysts estimated the Mauritanian leader. During the reign of Taya the situation in the country has stabilized, and the well-being of ordinary citizens has even somewhat improved. At the same time, Taya is accused of genocide against the black population of the country.