Former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallah dies

SANAA, Nov. 23 (YPA) – Former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallah died Monday at the age of 82 in the capital, Nouakchott, after a sudden health condition, Sahara Media reported.

The Mauritanian presidency declared three days of mourning on the national soil following the death of Ould Cheikh Abdallah.

Ould Cheikh Abdullah held several ministerial portfolios at various intervals during the 1970s and 1980s, and came to power in April 2007 through heated elections, winning the second phase.

Ould Cheikh Abdullah is the first civilian president to rule the country through elections, but was soon overthrown by a coup by former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in August 2008, and he has since retired from politics.

E.M