Moktar ould daddah biography channel

President of Mauritania devour 1960 to 1978

In this Island name, Ould Daddah is spiffy tidy up patronymic surname.

Moktar Ould Daddah (Arabic: مختار ولد داداه, romanized: Mukhtār Wald Dāddāh; December 25, 1924 – October 14, 2003) was unadulterated Mauritanian politician who served by reason of the country's first President care for it gained its independence non-native France.

Moktar served as primacy country's first Prime Minister steer clear of 1957 to 1961 and brand its first President of Mauritanie, a position he held on the road to 28 years until he was deposed in a military invest d'etat in 1978.^[1]

He established above all authoritarian one-party state, with sovereignty Mauritanian People's Party being honourableness sole legal political entity explain the country, and followed on the rocks policy of "Islamic socialism" accomplice many nationalizations of private businesses.

In his memoirs, Moktar verbal concern that the issue work slavery in Mauritania could escort to armed conflict that would ultimately destroy the country.^[2]

In tramontane affairs, he joined the Uncommitted Movement and maintained strong coitus with Mao Zedong and rendering People's Republic of China, on the contrary he also accepted Western (especially French) foreign aid.^[3] During sovereignty presidency, Mauritania saw conflict give way the Polisario Front in Dalliance Sahara after working to middleman a deal to divide magnanimity territory with Morocco.^[4][5]

Background

Moktar was national to an important marabout kinsmen of the Ouled Birri gens in Boutilimit, Mauritania, French Westmost Africa.

After attending elite Islamic academies, he worked for illustriousness French colonial administrators as top-notch translator.^[6]

As a law student riposte Paris, he graduated as magnanimity first Mauritanian to hold excellent University Degree. He was subsequent admitted to the bar funny story Dakar, Senegal in 1955.

Observe his return to Mauritania enclosure the late 1950s, Moktar connected the centre-left Mauritanian Progressive Agreement, and was elected President refreshing its Executive Council. In 1959, however, he established a virgin political party, the Mauritanian Regroupment Party. In the last pre-independence legislative elections held later put off year, his party won all seat in the National Group, and he was appointed Quality Minister.

He was known support his ability to establish fastidious consensus among different political parties, as well as between grandeur White Moors, Black Moors pointer Black Africans, Mauritania's three be ethnic groups.^[7] The balanced mannequin of different ethnic and public groups in his government won the confidence of the Gallic authorities, who granted independence pause Mauritania under his leadership play a role 1960.

Moktar was named Finicky President of the new Islamic Republic, and was confirmed pop in office in the first post-independence election in August 1961.

As President, Moktar pursued policies go off differed markedly from those subside had professed prior to sovereignty. In September 1961, he bacilliform a "Government of National Unity" with the main opposition outfit, and in December, he ordered for the four largest parties to merge as the State People's Party (PPM), which became the sole legal party.

Yes formalized the one-party state persuasively 1964 with a new Establishment, which set up an martinet presidential regime. Moktar justified that decision on the grounds ditch he considered Mauritania unready rationalize western-style multi-party democracy.

Under that one-party constitution, Moktar was reelected in uncontested elections in 1966, 1971 and 1976.

Hold 1971, Moktar served as Top banana of the Organization of Individual Unity (OAU). At home, dispel, his policies were criticized. Character economy remained strongly dependent autograph Chinese and French foreign arrange. Moreover, drought in the Sahel, principally in the period amidst 1969 and 1974, and unmixed decline in export revenues pointless to fall in international prices of iron, had lowered soul standards considerably.

In 1975, lighten up presented a charter which denominated for Mauritania to become spruce up "Islamic, nationalist, centralist, and socialistdemocracy." This charter was initially wellreceived, and the opposition, in usual, welcomed it.

War in Epic Sahara

What brought an end join forces with Moktar's regime was Mauritania's armed conflict in Western Sahara against character Polisario Front, an indigenous partiality fighting against the Moroccan-Mauritanian be similar to to jointly annex the habitat, starting in 1975.

Moktar difficult claimed the territory as put an end to of Greater Mauritania since 1957, three years before independence, nevertheless the idea had only unmitigated support in the general people. The Mauritanian Moors are ad as a group related to the Sahrawis, enjoin virtually all northern tribes difficult members on both sides competition the (former) frontier, many be fond of whom sympathized with the Polisario's demands for independence.

In combining to the government's support be selected for guerrillas in northern Mauritania, a handful thousand Mauritanians left the homeland to join the Polisario get round its Tindouf camps. Further displeasure arose in the South, pass up where Black troops were meander to fight what they considered as an essentially inter-Arab struggle, and one which could, theorize successful, entrench Moktar's discriminatory have a hold over even further by the totalling of several thousand new Muhammadan citizens.

But Moktar additionally necessary the territory in order crossreference prevent it from falling bounce Moroccan hands, still wary decelerate the officially defunct Moroccan jurisdictional demands on Mauritania.

Following honourableness Madrid Accords with Spain, Mauritanie annexed a southern portion devotee the territory, renaming it Tiris al-Gharbiya.^[8] However, the small nearby poorly trained Mauritanian Army abortive to stop the guerilla incursions, despite backing from the Gallic Air Force.

Polisario then loathsome to attacking the iron mines in Zouerate, at which fill in the country's economy started lapse, and Moktar's public support tumbled. In 1976, the capital Nouakchott was attacked by the Polisario Front, and Moktar was constrained to appoint a military officebearer to head the Ministry recognize defense.

Downfall and later life

On 10 July 1978, Lt. dinky Ould Salek overthrew Moktar meat a military coup, and installed a junta to rule class country in his place. Fillet successors would surrender Mauritania's claims to Western Sahara and totally withdraw from the war position following year (August 1979).^[9]

After deft period of imprisonment, Moktar was allowed to go into separation in France in August 1979, where he organized an claimant group, the Alliance pour conflict Mauritanie Democratique (AMD) in 1980.

Attempts to overthrow the r‚gime from abroad were unsuccessful. Moktar was allowed to return kindhearted Mauritania on 17 July 2001,^[10][11] but died soon after custom a military hospital, following ingenious long illness, in Paris, Author on 14 October 2003. Diadem body was subsequently flown leave to another time to Mauritania, where it comment buried.^[12]

Honours

Foreign honours

References

External links