Mauritania: 'Why I Overthrew My Head Of State'

On August 3, 2005, a Colonel of the Mauritanian army and close collaborator of former Mauritanian President, Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, carried out a bloodless coup d'etat - the most recent in Africa's history. Before this day, General Maaouya Ould Sidi Ahmed Taya had been ruling the vast West African country for close to 22 years. The Post's David Akana met the Mauritanian Interim Leader - Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Val in the Presidential palace in the capital Nouakchott recently. The latter fielded questions on why he staged the coup, his government's plans, the beginning of petroleum exploitation in his country and the relations between Mauritania and the African Union.