NOUAKCHOTT (Agencies)
The United States has suspended financial aid to Mauritania and called on the leaders of a military coup to immediately return to civilian rule, as police broke up a protest by hundreds of people against the army coup in the West African nation which has been internationally condemned despite a junta promise to hold new elections.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the military's overthrow of the democratically elected government in Mauritania and at present, all non-humanitarian foreign assistance is suspended and under review," a State Department spokesman said.
He said more than $20 million of aid was suspended.
The European Union called for the release of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, the country's first democratically elected leader, and his prime minister who were detained after the army takeover on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a top official in Abdallahi's party said police fired tear gas to end the rally of around 200-300 people in support of the president.
"We wanted to organize a peaceful demonstration, our protesters were only armed with slogans and portraits of the president. The police stopped us by firing tear gas," party secretary general Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Dahmane said. One woman was injured in the protest.
Dahmane said his National Pact for Democracy and Development party had allied with three other parties to denounce the coup.
The president "is the one and only legitimate president" of the country, he said.
Earlier, around 1,000 people also marched through the capital in support of coup leader General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz who seized control hours after being sacked as head of the presidential guard.
Pro-coup demonstrators marched alongside vehicles bearing giant portraits of the general and chanted "Aziz, Aziz" as they marched to the presidential palace.
Addressing the crowd at a rally outside the presidential palace at the end of the march, Abdel Aziz, flanked by members of the ruling junta, promised to solve the country's problems in his first public speech since taking control. |
