"I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for all those officers and soldiers who crushed the coup," said Taya

By IOL Correspondent

NOUAKCHITT, June 10 (IslamOnline.net) - Life came back to normal in the northwestern African country Tuesday, June 10, few hours after President Maaouiya Ould Taya announced that the 36-hous putsch was put down amid growing controversy.

Shops reopened its doors, traffic resumed down the main roads in the city, with a precarious presence of edgy soldiers at guard at crossing points after a two-day disappearance.

Police forces were seen nabbing thieves who escaped their cells on the morning of the attempted coup that triggered off anarchy and chaos during the rebel soldiers' attempts to seize control of the country's sensitive buildings.

But residents still feel perplexed, as they slept late on Monday with putschists in rule, to wake up with President Taya suddenly back in power after full silence overnight and intermittent heavy machine gunfire on Tuesday morning.

Taya broadcast a message of victory to the country of three million, which straddles black and Arab Africa on Monday, seplling an end to the two days of fighting battering the capital.

"I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for all those officers and soldiers who crushed the coup,” President Taya said in a statement in which he said the putsch was put down in his country, an Arab League member with close ties to Israel.

Taya returned to his heavily guarded palace, with a ring of tanks and loyalist troops now protects the building. Residents drove through downtown Nouakchott blasting their horns and waving portraits of Taya in celebration.

People venturing onto the capital's dusty streets raised eyebrows as they noticed that the column of tanks used in the putsch were still intact in their posts, with as small a number as five of them destroyed, contradicting Taya's words that all of the rebels' tanks were flattened.

The coup attempt came days after the detention of dozens of Islamic scholars, raising  speculations of possible links. But political sources in the country told IslamOnline.net that the coup attempt forcibly denied it was Islamic oriented.

Officials said the coup plot was manned by Sala Ould Henena, a former officer who was dismissed from the army for provoking opposition to befriending Israel. Unconfirmed reports said that he was killed in the fighting.

Mauritania also established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1999, bringing stern criticism from some Arab states and opponents to the move within the desert country.

Three Interpretations      

With the mysterious finale of the attempted coup's scenario, three interpretations made the rounds here for the leading elements.

The first posits that differences broke out among the rebel soldiers, that even turned into clashes, as to who should control the presidential palace after its seizure. This enabled pro-Taya forces to regain momentum and call for reinforcements moving towards the capital.

With low morale, according to the interpretation, the putschists were forced to sign a deal with the government forces, by which the two sides evade the specter of civil war sparked in the already-impoverished country.

Moving further, the agreement banned the declaration of names of the rebel soldiers, and include them instead in a military committee practically ruling the country.

The deal was even precipitated by concerns over an external intervention I the conflict hinted by some countries as the United States if the mutineers did not draw end to their putsch.

Small groups of U.S. armed forces have been already sent to Mauritania to strengthen security at U.S. embassies, the White House said on Monday.

Ammunitions Run Out  

The other interpretation traced the end of the attempted coup d'etat to that ammunition of the rebel soldiers ran out before they kept control of the ammunition depots of the government forces.

According to this interpretation, President Taya's ability to organize counter-attacks from a "safe place" – in the words of his staff – through stable and mobile communication equipment undermined the morale of the rebel soldiers.

Maneuvering

The last interpretation played down the attempted coup as nothing but a trick played by President Taya himself to tighten his grip on power and improve his stance with the approaching elections.

So the ability of the government forces, according to this interpretation, to regain control of the sensitive posts, including the palace, the army command centre and the radio and television building, clearly demonstrates Taya's stiffness and ability to run the interests of the country, a key asset before his running the elections for the third term after a 19-year-old rule.

Under the interpretation, the coup would have been expected to open the way for Taya to get rid of his opponents in the political and military establishment before the elections.