President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf were seized by troops early on 6 August in what appears to have been a bloodless coup, according to reports from the country.
President Abdallahi has been in power since winning an election in March 2007.
Three generals staged the coup after Abdallahi issued an order earlier the same day removing them from their posts as head of the Presidential Guard, head of the armed forces and head of the National Guard.
In a phone call from the presidential palace, Abdallahi's daughter Amal Mint Cheikh Abdallahi told Radio France International: "The president has just been arrested by a commando who came to fetch him, arrested him here and took him away."
Mauritania is the world's newest oil producer and one of the countries worst affected by high food prices.
You might also like...
Ruwais LNG full EPC award expected in June
29 March 2024
PIF entity makes $1bn Lucid placement
29 March 2024
Petro Rabigh awards KBR maintenance contract
29 March 2024
Diriyah Company seeks firms for demolition work
29 March 2024
A MEED Subscription...
Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.