Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz

Mohamed was a leader in Mauritania.

He was a soldier for a long time. He led a group of soldiers.

He took power from the old leaders. This was done by the military. He then became the president.

He was president for many years. He won two big elections. He also led a group of African lands.

Later, he had big problems with the law. He was sent to jail. It was for things he did while in power.

He was a very famous leader. He changed how his land was run.

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was a soldier and a leader. He was born in 1956 in Akjoujt.

He studied at a military school in Morocco. Later, he led a special group of guards. This group was called BASEP.

In 2005, he helped take power from the president. In 2008, he led another military coup. A coup is when the military takes control of a country. After the 2008 coup, he led a council of leaders. He then ran for president in an election. He won that election in 2009. He was president for ten years. He won another election in 2014. He also led the African Union from 2014 to 2015.

In 2021, Mohamed was arrested. He faced charges of corruption. Corruption means using power in a dishonest way. In 2023, a court sent him to prison. His sentence was later changed to 15 years.

He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in 2019.

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was a very important leader in Mauritania. He was a soldier who later became the country's president.

He was born on December 20, 1956, in a place called Akjoujt. This man played a huge role in how his country was run for many years. His life moved from being a soldier to being a top political leader. He is a person people study to understand the history of Mauritania.

His career in the military started with a lot of hard work. In 1977, he joined the Meknes Royal Military Academy in Morocco. After he finished his training, he earned many promotions in the army. He eventually created a special group of guards called BASEP. This group is also known as the Presidential Security Battalion. He used his skills to stop a military uprising in August 2004. Because of this, he received the highest military award in Mauritania.

Mohamed's path to the presidency involved two major military coups. A coup is when the military takes control of a government. The first happened on August 3, 2005, with Ely Ould Mohamed Vall. They removed President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya from power. Later, on August 6, 2008, Mohamed led another coup. This second event removed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. After this, Mohamed led a group called the High Council of State.

He became the official president of Mauritania in August 2009. He won a big election in July 2009 to take this role.

He served as president for ten years until 2019. During his time in power, he was also re-elected in 2014. He even served as the chairman of the African Union from 2014 to 2015. He met many leaders from other lands during these years.

Things changed for Mohamed after he left the presidency. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in August 2019.

In June 2021, Mohamed was arrested by the government. He faced charges of corruption, which means being dishonest with power. In December 2023, a court sentenced him to five years in prison. This sentence was later extended to 15 years in May 2025.

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is a retired military officer and politician from Mauritania. He served as the 8th President of the nation from 2009 to 2019. His career is defined by his transition from a high-ranking soldier to a central political figure. He played a decisive role in two major military coups that changed the direction of the country. A coup is an event where the military takes control of the government by force. These events shaped the political landscape of Mauritania for many years.

Abdel Aziz began his military training in 1977 at the Meknes Royal Military Academy in Morocco. Through a series of promotions, he rose through the ranks of the Mauritanian army. He eventually established an elite unit known as the Presidential Security Battalion, or BASEP. This group was responsible for protecting the presidency. During his military career, he was active in maintaining order. In June 2003, he helped suppress an attempted coup. In August 2004, he stopped a military uprising. For his actions during the 2004 uprising, he received Mauritania's highest military award.

His involvement in national leadership increased significantly during the mid-2000s. On August 3, 2005, a military coup led by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall and Abdel Aziz overthrew President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. At that time, Abdel Aziz was the commander of the BASEP. Following this, he continued to hold influential positions. In August 2007, President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi appointed him as his Presidential Chief of Staff. In early 2008, he acted as a personal envoy to the King of Morocco. He also commanded forces sent to capture militants in December 2007.

In 2008, the relationship between Abdel Aziz and President Abdallahi became strained. On August 6, 2008, the President ordered Abdel Aziz to be removed from his command. This order included several other senior officers. In response, BASEP troops seized the President, the Prime Minister, and the Interior Minister in the capital, Nouakchott. This action established the High Council of State, an 11-member group that governed during a transitional period. Abdel Aziz was appointed as the president of this council. This period was intended to lead toward new elections.

Abdel Aziz eventually moved from military rule to elected leadership. He resigned from his post in the High Council of State in April 2009. This allowed him to run as a candidate in the presidential election held in July 2009. He won the election and officially took office in August 2009.

He served his first term and was later re-elected in 2014. His leadership extended beyond Mauritania's borders as well. From 2014 to 2015, he served as the chairman of the African Union.

During his presidency, Abdel Aziz engaged with many international leaders and organizations. While some countries like Morocco, Libya, and Senegal offered support, others were more critical. The United States and the European Union expressed concerns regarding the legality of the 2008 coup. The African Union also issued condemnations and travel bans against those involved in the coup. This international reaction highlighted the complexity of his rise to power.

Abdel Aziz left the presidency in 2019 when he chose not to seek re-election. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in August 2019.

His life after the presidency has been marked by legal challenges. In June 2021, he was arrested and detained. He faced charges related to corruption. In December 2023, a court sentenced him to five years in prison. This sentence was later extended to 15 years in May 2025. His life remains a significant part of Mauritania's modern political history.