Coup in Mauritania

Oh Dear!

Johan phoned me yesterday afternoon, he is living in a tent in a place called A'in bin cilli - when you look at it with Google earth it just shows dark orange - he is right in the middle of the desert. He says every 50 kms or so they might see a camel pottering around but that's all. They are camped near a solitary tree next to the skeleton of a camel... the only water they have is what they could take with them for drinking, it is very hot, over 43 degrees and wind storms come up frequently. Sounds delightful!

And now there has been a coup in the capital, Nouakchott!!!

" This is the second coup which has occurred in Mauritania in the space of three years and is the first coup attempt made during the term of the democratically elected President Abdallahi. He was the first democratically elected leader since independence in 1960, thus the situation threatens the country’s nascent democracy. It is reported that both the president and the prime minister have been held hostage in the vicinity of the presidential palace, but exactly what happens from here is unclear. Those staging this coup are not novices at this game: Aziz was instrumental in bringing down long-time dictator Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya in 2005 and the coup leaders have already formed a "military state council" plus cancelling the nominations made by the president this morning."

Hopefully it will all have resolved itself by the time they come out of the desert in a weeks or so's time!