The African Union (AU) condemned the coup staged by the military in Mauritania earlier Wednesday, in which President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf were arrested, according to reports by agencies.
The AU "condemns the coup d'Etat and demands the restoration of constitutional legality," a statement issued at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa was quoted as saying.
The statement said that AU would send Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra to Mauritania's capital Nouakchott to assess the situation on the ground and to assist in promoting a peaceful solution to the crisis.
Soon after the coup was staged, soldiers in the country announced the establishment of the State Council, saying that Abdallahi was no longer president.
The State Council has reportedly issued a statement, saying that the council will be led by Mauritanian's former presidential guard chief Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdela Aziz.
The coup came as Abdallahi have fired several top army officers.
Mauritania has been in a deep political crisis. The government stepped down last month amid a proposed no confidence vote.
Abdallahi became president last year after winning elections which marked the return of civilian rule to the country.
Source:Xinhua
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