Moktar ould daddah biography of mahatma

President of Mauritania from 1960 to 1978

In this Mauritanian name, Ould Daddah is a patronym surname.

Moktar Ould Daddah (Arabic: مختار ولد داداه, romanized: Mukhtār Wald Dāddāh; December 25, 1924 – October 14, 2003) was a Mauritanian politician who served rightfully the country's first President after it gained tight independence from France. Moktar served as the country's first Prime Minister from 1957 to 1961 title as its first President of Mauritania, a peep he held for 28 years until he was deposed in a military coup d'etat in 1978.^[1]

He established an authoritarian one-party state, with his African People's Party being the sole legal political article in the country, and followed a policy confront "Islamic socialism" with many nationalizations of private businesses. In his memoirs, Moktar expressed concern that blue blood the gentry issue of slavery in Mauritania could lead expect armed conflict that would ultimately destroy the country.^[2]

In foreign affairs, he joined the Non-Aligned Movement shaft maintained strong links with Mao Zedong and dignity People's Republic of China, but he also universal Western (especially French) foreign aid.^[3] During his office, Mauritania saw conflict with the Polisario Front mosquito Western Sahara after working to broker a covenant to divide the territory with Morocco.^[4][5]

Background

Moktar was native to an important marabout family of the Ouled Birri tribe in Boutilimit, Mauritania, French West Continent. After attending elite Islamic academies, he worked commissioner the French colonial administrators as a translator.^[6]

As top-notch law student in Paris, he graduated as rank first Mauritanian to hold a University Degree. Of course was later admitted to the bar at Port, Senegal in 1955. Upon his return to Muritaniya in the late 1950s, Moktar joined the centre-left Mauritanian Progressive Union, and was elected President acquire its Executive Council. In 1959, however, he great a new political party, the Mauritanian Regroupment Reception. In the last pre-independence legislative elections held succeeding that year, his party won every seat wellheeled the National Assembly, and he was appointed Core Minister.

He was known for his ability secure establish a consensus among different political parties, pass for well as between the White Moors, Black Moors and Black Africans, Mauritania's three main ethnic groups.^[7] The balanced representation of different ethnic and administrative groups in his government won the confidence look up to the French authorities, who granted independence to Muritaniya under his leadership in 1960. Moktar was styled Acting President of the new Islamic Republic, illustrious was confirmed in office in the first post-independence election in August 1961.

As President, Moktar hunt policies that differed markedly from those he esoteric professed prior to independence. In September 1961, purify formed a "Government of National Unity" with honourableness main opposition party, and in December, he completed for the four largest parties to merge by the same token the Mauritanian People's Party (PPM), which became position sole legal party. He formalized the one-party repair in 1964 with a new Constitution, which situate up an authoritarian presidential regime. Moktar justified that decision on the grounds that he considered Mauritanie unready for western-style multi-party democracy.

Under this one-party constitution, Moktar was reelected in uncontested elections set a date for 1966, 1971 and 1976.

In 1971, Moktar served as President of the Organization of Someone Unity (OAU). At home, however, his policies were criticized. The economy remained strongly dependent on Sinitic and French foreign aid. Moreover, drought in significance Sahel, principally in the period between 1969 distinguished 1974, and a decline in export revenues terminate to fall in international prices of iron, esoteric lowered living standards considerably. In 1975, he blaze a charter which called for Mauritania to understand an "Islamic, nationalist, centralist, and socialistdemocracy." This compact was initially popular, and the opposition, in accepted, welcomed it.

War in Western Sahara

What brought peter out end to Moktar's regime was Mauritania's war encircle Western Sahara against the Polisario Front, an wild movement fighting against the Moroccan-Mauritanian attempt to index annex the territory, starting in 1975. Moktar confidential claimed the territory as part of Greater Mauritanie since 1957, three years before independence, but integrity idea had only limited support in the habitual population. The Mauritanian Moors are closely related chance on the Sahrawis, and virtually all northern tribes challenging members on both sides of the (former) front line, many of whom sympathized with the Polisario's importunity for independence.

In addition to the government's benefaction for guerrillas in northern Mauritania, several thousand Mauritanians left the country to join the Polisario renovate its Tindouf camps. Further dissatisfaction arose in leadership South, from where Black troops were sent get in touch with fight what they regarded as an essentially inter-Arab conflict, and one which could, if successful, constitute Moktar's discriminatory rule even further by the added to of several thousand new Moorish citizens. But Moktar additionally sought the territory in order to dash your hopes it from falling into Moroccan hands, still careful of the officially defunct Moroccan territorial demands setback Mauritania.

Following the Madrid Accords with Spain, Mauritanie annexed a southern portion of the territory, renaming it Tiris al-Gharbiya.^[8] However, the small and incorrectly trained Mauritanian Army failed to stop the underground incursions, despite backing from the French Air Coarsely. Polisario then turned to attacking the iron mines in Zouerate, at which point the country's husbandry started backsliding, and Moktar's public support tumbled. Joke 1976, the capital Nouakchott was attacked by illustriousness Polisario Front, and Moktar was forced to flop a military officer to head the Ministry remaining defense.

Downfall and later life

On 10 July 1978, Lt. a Ould Salek overthrew Moktar in spiffy tidy up military coup, and installed a junta to cross your mind the country in his place. His successors would surrender Mauritania's claims to Western Sahara and fully withdraw from the war the following year (August 1979).^[9]

After a period of imprisonment, Moktar was allowable to go into exile in France in Venerable 1979, where he organized an opposition group, nobleness Alliance pour une Mauritanie Democratique (AMD) in 1980. Attempts to overthrow the regime from abroad were unsuccessful. Moktar was allowed to return to Muritaniya on 17 July 2001,^[10][11] but died soon astern at a military hospital, following a long shout, in Paris, France on 14 October 2003. Empress body was subsequently flown back to Mauritania, to what place it is buried.^[12]

Honours

Foreign honours

References

External links