mauritanian troops 'seize media' , page-7

Mauritania Troops Take Over Radio Station

Wednesday August 3, 2005 10:46 AM


NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) - Army troops in Mauritania's capital took control of the national radio and television station on Wednesday while the desert nation's president was on a visit to Saudi Arabia, witnesses said.

The presidential guard troops cut state media broadcasts. It was unclear if the move signaled a coup. No gunfire or violence was reported in the city.

Heavily armed soldiers deployed in force on the streets of Nouakchott, and around ministerial offices.

President Maaoya Sid'Ahmed Taya - who has survived several coup attempts during his 20-year reign - has cracked down ruthlessly against opponents, including members of Islamist groups and army soldiers, jailing scores of people accused of plotting to overthrow him.

Mauritania, a sparsely populated nation of 3 million on the northwest edge of Africa, is strictly regulated by Taya, who took power in a 1984 military coup and tried to legitimize his rule in the 1990s through elections the opposition says were fraudulent.