Mohamed Ould Maouloud, chairman of the opposition Union of the Forces of Progress (UFP), said Thursday that a foreign power was behind the 6 August military coup in Mauritania, and promised “more detailed revelations later”. At a news conference here, Maouloud, who currently holds the revolving chair of the National Front for the Defence of Democracy (FNDD), an alliance of 12 parties opposed to the putsch, insisted on the need for the people of Mauritania to “continue the fight for a return to constitutional legality through peaceful means”, saying that international pressure on the junta resulted from the FNDD’s action. Meanwhile, Mauritania’s neighbours — Morocco and Senegal — have shown some “understanding” with the perpetrators of the putsch, officially called “rectification movement”, while Algeria has strongly condemned the coup and Mali has made no public comment. At the beginning of the political crisis which led to the coup — when MPs started a revolt — UFP officials privately accused Morocco of trying to “destabilize ” Mauritania. Maouloud’s news conference was attended by the main FNDD leaders.
