Algerian The Moor Next Door has been blogging the story intensively and reports:

Talking to informed Mauritanians, some of them saw the coup coming during the summer (as it did), in the autumn, or not at all. My sense was always that the coup would come this summer (I never wrote this expressly but I expressed this view in discussion and refrained from commenting on the crisis (1) because Western Sahara Info. covered it well and there is not point in competing when you’re one of two or three bloggers paying attention to it, (2) I wanted to make sure that if I “predicted” it I would not be wrong; I could have said, “by the end of May/June/July/August Sidi’s government will be no more” and been wrong; I’m no weather man, and (3) I’ve yet to encounter a Mauritanian that had positive things to say about Sidi beyond his golden personality). One of the major pressures that forced Sidi to act the way he did towards the end was the threat of a commission being formed to investigate the financial side of his wife’s foundation, which would surely have done him in ever more deeply. The commission might even have made his administration’s ridiculous personal expenditures public. For instance, I am told that his air travels alone cost the state some $2 billion, on chartered jets, his family, full entourage, and various other luxuries. He was between a rock and a hard place: Either he would be forced to step down (a la Olmert) in total shame, or he would be impelled to dissolve parliament and reorganize his government, which would precipitate a coup such as today’s, allowing him to save political face. Flanked on both sides, he moved in desperation and met his fate.

Western Sahara Info has been blogging the crisis from its outset, and today provided up-to-the-minute information on the coup, including a brief analysis:

Quick analysis, which I may regret: a tragedy for Mauritanian democracy, on the one hand, but that didn't stand much of a chance anyway; but more importantly, a giant setback for the country's broader chances of political development. While President Abdellahi and his cronies aren't exactly angels, Generals Ghazouani and Abdelaziz represent the very worst military-parasitic element of the Mauritanian regime, and their refusal to let the civilian side of the regime settle down in power threatens to undo it completely in the long run. If the last coup, in August 2005, could be met with cautious understanding by the international community, having unseated President ould Tayaa, and eventually with praise as it led to a real transformation, this time around it is different. What happened in 2005 was that a military-personal-tribal dictatorship was overthrown and the chance arrived to replace it with a civilian semi-authoritarian structure that respected most democratic norms most of the time, and which made sensible moves towards national reconciliation, refugee return and economic development; not heaven, but infinitely better. This change is now being reversed. The putschists — even though they are some of the same people as acted in 2005 — must be condemned and the result of the coup overturned if possible; Mauritania had a golden opportunity to break its vicious circle, and it is now slipping away.

Roads to Iraq, in a post entitled “American orchestrated coup in Mauritania,” reports the news as well:

Things are happening rapidly in Mauritania, started with a coup this morning, issuing the “statement no 1” on the Mauritanian TV, changing the Head of the TV because he refused to cooperate with the army chief who staged the coup, and announcing a new military junta.

In Egypt, Bella [Ar] says what happened in Mauritania proved that Arabs weren't cut for democracy.

يبدو أن الممارسة الديمقراطية لم تُخلق لشعوب مثل شعوبنا لاتستطيع التنفس خارج الحكم العسكري

It seems that democracy wasn't made for people like us - who cannot breathe outside military rule.

After giving us a brief history of Mauritania's young democracy, Bella writes:

وهكذا ياسادة لم تكد موريتانيا تنعم بممارسة الديمقراطية في تجربة رائدة كنا جميعا نغبطها عليها حتى عادت ريما لعادتها القديمة وتدخل العسكر وحدث الانقلاب

This way, Mauritania, which was just about to reap the fruit of democracy in a pioneering move which the entire region was eyeing with excitement, things return to what they were originally, and the military intervened and the coup happened.

Kuwaiti Wild Il Deera poses a few questions about the coup. He asks:

ما هو موقف جامعة الدول العربية من قادة الإنقلاب؟
ألم يكن الرئيس الموريتاني رئيساً منتخباً من الشعب؟
كيف لمؤسسة سياسية مثل الجامعة تطلب أن تُحترم عربيا و دولياً أن تقبل بحدوث إنقلاب عسكري على نظام أحد دولها الأعضاء!

What is the stance of the Arab League from the leaders of this coup?
Wasn't the Mauritanian leader elected by his people?
How can a political group, like the Arab League, which demands that it is respected in Arab and international arenas allow such a military coup to take place in one of its member countries?

Prolific Moroccan blogger Larbi [fr] linked to a news article, remarking:

On peut le dire : l'Afrique est un continent maudit !

His post garnered significant response. Citoyen commented:

Il est vrai que les putschs sont imprévisibles en Afrique…mais je me demande, quand même, si cette fois-ci encore, les services marocains ont été pris de court comme en août 2005 ?

It is true that coups are unpredictable in Africa…I wonder, though, if again, the Moroccan services have been caught short as they were in August 2005?

Finally KABOBfest, always one to inject humor into every situation, remarks somewhat facetiously:

Whereas coup culture in a lot of countries is a thing of the past (e.g., Syria ain't had a coup in a few decades) some countries like to kick it old skool, harking back to when it seemed like there was a coup-a-week somewhere in the world. While Mauritania isn't Fiji, they are keeping the tradition of pointless coups alive and well in the Arab world.

The Arabdemocracy blog also has an excellent “obituary” for the young democracy that was.

Photo above is of Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, by Marcello Casal Jr./Abr (Setember 2007)

Gavage of Mauritanian women was the subject of a “Politique au Senegal” post, written by Naomed, and a commentator remarked that :

“mais ce n’est pas de leur faute, ils ont été eduqués de la sorte”

“but it is not their fault, this is how they were educated”

Naomed, writing now on the Archipo Blog wonders though if Ignorance or tradition are an excuse.

“Les comportements condamnables sont légions dans nos sociétés dont une bonne partie sont légitimés par la tradition et la culture. Je cite en vrac : l'exploitation exacerbée opérée sur les jeunes bonnes et encore plus sur les petits talibés esclaves de leurs marabouts, l'excision, les mariages précoces et arrangés… Tout cela est profondément ancré dans notre culture, parfaitement conforme à nos moeurs. Jusqu'à un certain point, la corruption et la patrimonialisation du pouvoir accompagné du népotisme sont aussi inscrits dans les traditions.

Nous ne sommes pas responsables de l'éducation que nous avons reçue, c'est indéniable, mais jusqu'à quel point pouvons nous nous réfugier derrière cette éducation pour justifier nos actes ?”

“Condamnable acts abound in our societies and a great number of them are legitimized by tradition and culture. I name : the exploitation of young maids and abuse of small talibes slaves by their marabouts, excision, early and arranged marriages…. All this is deeply ingrained in our culture, in compliance with our customs. Up to a certain point, corruption and power, wealth grabbing combined with nepotism are also entrenched in our traditions.
We are not responsible of the education we got, that much we cannot deny, but up to what point can we hide behind this education to justify our actions?

He argues passionately that :

“Nous tolérons très bien la survivance de comportements criminels à condition qu'ils se passent chez nous et que les acteurs soient de notre culture, que ce soient nos voisins et nos frères…”

“We tolerate the survival of criminal acts if they are committed in our home and their perpetrators are of our culture, our neighbors or brothers…”

and he then turns the argument of tradition and education on its head :

“Si un comportement actuel condamnable est toléré et justifié par une tradition et une éducation, il serait juste d'appliquer ce principe de manière universelle. Ce qui est bon (à appliquer) pour nous doit l'être pour les autres.

Cela nous met dans une situation génante pour juger l'esclavage et la traite dont a été victime le continent africain.”

“If a condemnable act is tolerated and justified by a tradition and an education, it would be right to apply this principle universally. What is good for us, should be good for others.
It puts us in an awkward situation to judge slavery and its trade of which the African continent has been the victim.”

“L'esclavage était une tradition bien établie à l'époque. Nombre de sociétés étaient basées sur l'esclavage y compris en Afrique. Cet esclavage était conforme à la tradition, aux moeurs et à la morale de l'époque. “

“”Slavery was a well established tradition at the time. Many cultures were based on slavery, African ones included. This slavery was conform to the tradition, customs and morality of the time.”

He concludes by deploring the slave like conditions of young maids and demonstrating the absurdity of the education and tradition argument.

“Il ne vient à l'idée de personne de pardonner à ceux qui ont jadis commis ce crime. Au nom de la réciprocité des formes doit-on tolérer et laisser impuni le quasi esclavage des petits talibés, celui des jeunes bonnes ?

Sous le prétexte que les auteurs de ces actes ont été éduqués ainsi et qu'ils n'y voient aucun mal ? “

“”It comes to nobody's mind to forgive those who committed this crime. In the name of the reciprocity of forms, should we tolerate and leave unpunished the slave like conditions of small talibes, young maids?
Under the pretext that the perpetrators of these acts were thusly educated and saw no ill doing?”

Since then, however, due to rivalries between Morocco and Algeria and the Western Sahara conflict, union meetings have been on hold. A conference was scheduled for 2005, but was canceled when Morocco refused to attend due to Algeria's support for the Polisario and Saharan independence.

Although the countries of the Maghreb have not been able to pull together, the bloggers of the Maghreb have. On May 15, Tunisian blogger Big Trap Boy (fr) posted an invitation to blog for the Maghreb:

Ce blog est en campagne pour rassembler les bloggeurs maghrébins autour d'une action qui vise à demander une intégration réelle des pays du Maghreb ainsi que le dépassement des conflits qui bloquent ce processus. Notre rendez-vous est pris pour le 1er Juin, chacun écrira une note pour le Grand Maghreb. Il s'agit d'une initiative citoyenne qui sera peut-être le premier pas que les politiciens n'ont pas pu faire. On demande à voir des projets et non plus à entendre des discours. Le Maghreb a beaucoup plus à nous offrir que le terrorisme international.

Vous êtes tous invités à nous rejoindre.

This blog is campaigning to gather the Maghrebian bloggers around an action which aims at demanding a real integration of Maghreb countries as well as going beyond the conflicts which block this process. The date is set for June 1; each one of us will write a note for the Grand Maghreb. This is a citizen initiative which will perhaps be that first step that the politicians could not take. We want to see projects, not hear speeches. The Maghreb has more to offer than international terrorism.

You all are invited to join us.

Today, many bloggers throughout the Maghreb have honored Big Trap Boy's request, posting their own personal opinions about the Maghreb Union. Here is a sampling of what Morocco's bloggers have to say:

Lady Zee (fr):

Les initiateurs souhaitent réussir là où les politiciens ont échoué; à savoir, renouer le dialogue entre ces pays, dépasser les incompréhensions et les conflits, et s’unir. Un projet ambitieux, certes, mais qui mérite d’être salué.

The organizers wish to succeed where politicians have failed; that is, to join again the dialogue between these countries, to pass over misunderstandings and conflicts, and to unite themselves. An ambitious project, certainly, but one which deserves to be greeted.

Open Door (fr):

Je me rappelle qu’au primaire, on nous parlait souvent d’union de Maghreb, et de synergie entre les 5 pays voisins d’Afrique du nord : l’Algérie, la Lybie, le Maroc, la Mauritanie, et la Tunisie.

On n’arrêtait pas de nous vanter les mérites d’une éventuelle coopération entre les cinq pays, d’une stratégie économique commune, d’une politique commune, d’intérêts communs, de visions partagées . On mettait beaucoup d’espoir sur nos dirigeants, et on l’attendait beaucoup ce premier pas, celui qui nous mènera vers cette union tant désirée.

Une quinzaine d’année plus tard, on vit toujours la même situation, si ce n’est pire. Des conflits éclatent entre des frères voisins, des faux problèmes, des tensions se sentent de parts et d’autres. On entend toujours la même chanson, en boucle, les même promesses, les mêmes paroles dans le vent, les mêmes mensonges !

I remember in primary school, they told us about the Maghreb union, and the synergy between the five countries of North Africa: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia.They didn't stop telling us about the merits of a possible cooperation between the five countries, of a common economic strategy, of a common policy, common interests, shared visions. We put a lot of hope on our leaders and awaited the first step that would carry us toward this much-desired union.

Some fifteen years later, we still live in this same situation, or even worse. Conflicts erupt between nearby brothers, false problems, tensions from all sides. We always hear the same song, [playing] in a loop, the same promises, the same words in the wind, the same lies!

Red@blog (fr):

Si on essaye de comparer l’émergence de l’UE avec celle de l’UMA, on se rend compte que les bases ne sont pas vraiment les mêmes. L’Europe venait de sortir d’une guerre qui avait laissé des séquelles assez profondes alors que l’Afrique du Nord bien qu’ayant vécu le colonialisme (à différents degrés) ne sentait pas le besoin de se regrouper pour ne plus vivre le passé. Il y a eu quelques épisodes plus ou moins disgracieux entre le Maroc et l’Algérie mais cela se vivait plus comme une conséquence de la Guerre froide que comme une réelle confrontation entre deux pays voisins.

If one tries to compare the emergence of the EU with that of the UMA (Maghreb Arab Union), one realizes that the [underlying situation is] not really the same. Europe had just completed a war which had left rather major after-effects whereas North Africa, although having lived through colonialism (of varying degrees), didn't feel the need to reunite or live in the past anymore. There were some more or less ungainly episodes between Morocco and Algeria but they were lived more like a consequence of the Cold War than like a real confrontation between two close countries.

Moi, ma famille et mes centres d'intérêt (fr):

La discorde n'arrange rien, unissons-nous ! Nous avons tout les ingrédients : Langues, religions, cultures, … manque plus que la volonté politique .. Lah ihdihom 3lina had les politiciens ou safi ;-)

Tous par un Maghreb uni !

Discord doesn't help anything, let's unite! We have all the ingredients: languages, religions, cultures, …all we lack is political will. God make the politicians follow the right way to lead us - and enough ;-)All for a unified Maghreb!

Stupeur! Un nouveau départ! (fr):

Milliards et milliards sont les pertes de chaque pays d’entre nous lors du change de devises, pour aller à un pays voisin de dois absolument passer par une autre monnaie convertible.

Un investisseur perdrait plus de 5% de son capital au change s’il voulait investir dans un pays maghrébin, sans parler des complications administratives.

Each of us loses billions and billions every time we exchange currencies; to go to a neighboring country we have to change to a convertible currency.An investor would lose more than 5% of his capital [to the cost of] exchange if he wanted to invest in a Maghrebian country, not to mention the administrative complications.

There are many different opinions across the blogoma - some for the Maghreb Union and some against. Some who believe that we are ready for a union, others who believe it will take time. Yet, the bloggers have turned out to be more unified than the Maghreb itself:

Aujourd’hui je blogue pour ce grand Maghreb, le Maghreb des maghrébins : maures, arabes, séfarades, berbères, et tant d’autres imazighern : Les hommes libres du nord de l’Afrique

Today I blog for the grand Maghreb, the Maghreb of Maghrebians: Moors, Arabs, Sephardi, Berbers, and many other Amazigh: The free people of North Africa.

(Murmures [fr])

I fully support his idea and his arguments. His point is that if our leaders are making this union a low priority, let’s make them aware that we, the united people of the Maghreb want this union and that this is our own chance to stand up economically in front of the EU in the north.

Here are some excerpts of his post:

On the 1st of June, I'll be blogging for the Maghreb union

Le 11 mars, regardez vers l'ouest
La Mauritanie, vous savez le petit pays qui fait partie de l'UMA, là-bas juste en dessous du Maroc. Mais si! Le pays ou tout le monde s'appelle Oueld quelque chose ? Vous voyez de quoi je parle ?
Bref, dans ce petit coin perdu qui n'a jamais notre attention, on s'apprête à vivre un évènement historique. Le 11 mars prochain, des “élections présidentielles”, des vraies, vont avoir lieu! (pour ceux qui ne sauraient pas ce que cette expression veut dire, restez sous votre bouclier, c'est mieux) […]
Le CMJD organise un référendum constitutionnel qui entérine notamment la réduction du mandat présidentiel à 5 ans et son renouvellement à une seule fois, ainsi que des élections municipales, législatives et sénatoriales. Il abroge un texte de lois qui restreignait les conditions d'associations, de réunions publiques et d'expression, gracie des opposants emprisonnés et permet le retour au pays des autres, met fin au système de censure et libère la presse et l'audiovisuel, réforme le statut de la magistrature pour garantir la neutralité des juges, met en place des procédures pour réduire la corruption, renforce le dossier des finances publiques, et réduit la dette extérieure. La meilleure reste quand même le miracle suivant: après 19 mois à la tête du pays, le colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall “se retire” pour laisser la place à son successeur, qui sera élu en mars, et martèle la nécessité de préserver la neutralité totale des dirigeants en cette période décisive[…]

**Nadia here made an implicit reference to another excellent article she wrote this week, about how the country (Tunisia) lives under a super shield that protects us from all the bad stuff. She was alluding to the editorial line of our national press, and the official state of the country as depicted by the government.

Quoi? Vous n'êtes pas au courant ? Mais si je vous dis, il y a un Super Bouclier installé juste au dessus de la Tunisie. Naturellement, il épouse parfaitement les contours du pays, on a utilisé des cartes très précises quand on l'a installé !

[…]

Le Super Bouclier protège des idées extrémistes. Même quand certains individus mal intentionnés ont réussi à franchir les frontières, ce n'était évidemment pas ici qu'ils avaient tout appris, car ici tout ce qui se dit est pur et pacifique, pas de manipulations, pas d'endoctrinement, pas de misère, donc pas de danger. Et puis de qui se moque-t-on? un tunisien n'est par définition pas si crédule pour se laisser faire!

[…]

Le Super Bouclier protège des crises économiques. Dès qu'ils atteignent le Bouclier, les chiffres gonflent, les profits se multiplient, les avancées deviennent tellement énormes que les autres pays de la région sont admiratifs de notre succès.

Le Super Bouclier protège de la connerie humaine, tout citoyen tunisien est tellement intelligent qu'il sait absolument tout sur tout, qu'il a des certitudes sur chaque chose, parce que le Bouclier attire et filtre pour lui toutes les connaissances dignes d'être acquises, pas besoin de lire, de s'informer, de faire autre chose que profiter de la présence de cet outil miracle qui nourrit son esprit.

Par contre, le Super Bouclier a un inconvénient. A force de perfectionner ses filtres, on y a malencontreusement introduit un “bug” : un filtre contre la “conscience” …

Another event that did not get enough coverage on the Tunisphere is the second anniversary of the imprisonment of Lawyer Mohamed Abbou from Tunisia. He was convicted on fictitious charges because he was critical to the president in an article published on the internet. Zizou from Djerba mentioned it briefly in his blog.

Une petite pensée pour Maitre Mohamed Abbou. Il a été condamné a 3 ans et demi de prison et il vient aujourd'hui d'achever sa deuxieme année sous les verrous.