* President was accidentally shot by the army last month
* Has yet to appear in public or return home
By Laurent Prieur
NOUAKCHOTT, Nov 1 (Reuters) – Opposition leaders in
coup-prone Mauritania on Thursday called on the army to stay out
of politics and demanded more information on the health of the
country’s absentee president.
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, a key ally of the West in the fight
against al Qaeda in Africa, was flown to France on Oct. 14, for
treatment of a gunshot wound the government said he received
when a military patrol accidentally fired on his convoy.
He was released from hospital more than a week ago but has
yet to return to Mauritania or appear publicly, raising
questions over the state of his health and who is running the
country in his absence.
Several thousand opposition supporters gathered in the
capital Nouakchott on Thursday to demand more transparency from
the authorities concerning the president’s condition as well as
a report clarifying the circumstances of his shooting.
“The soldiers held the power for more than 40 years and
today it’s not just a coincidence if everyone thinks it’s the
army chief of staff who has the power,” said Khadiata Malik
Diallo, vice president of the opposition UFP party.
“We don’t want soldiers to be able to interfere in politics
any longer, either openly or covertly,” he said.
Rumours have abounded in the arid West African nation since
the president’s shooting, with many questioning the government’s
official version of events.
Last weekend, when Abdel Aziz failed to appear on television
for his traditional address marking the Muslim feast of Tabaski,
fears that he had died and that the army was in the process of
taking over spread through the capital.
The president of the National Assembly, Messaoud Ould
Boulkheir, attempted on Wednesday to calm the country’s citizens
by saying he had been in contact with Abdel Aziz by telephone.
“I spoke to the president, who told me he was doing well and
that his health was improving. Our conversation allowed me to
note that he had all his intellectual capacities,” he said on
state radio.
However, the government’s assurances have done little to
allay the fears of many Mauritanians that the country is now
experiencing a power vacuum.
“Who’s ruling the country while the president is away? Is it
the military, businessmen or the prime minister? None of them is
entitled to do so according to our constitution,” said one man
at Thursday’s opposition meeting.
“And what will happen if al Qaeda operates another incursion
into Mauritania?” asked the man, who gave his name only as
Hamoud.
(Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Stephen Powell)
