Putsch in Mauritania

Following a military putsch in the West African country of Mauritania, which lies very close to the Canary Islands, a council of state has seized control of the country. The daily ABC comments on the significance of this coup for Spain: "The military putsch which has ousted the Mauritanian president, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, and the prime minister, Yahia Ould Ahmed El-Ouakef, puts an abrupt end to the promising process of democratisation in this impoverished African country, and this is lamentable in every respect. Spain has numerous interests in this neighbouring country, for example [joint] control of fishing and illegal immigration. Political instability in this country is bad news because our policy in the North African region largely depends on there being the greatest possible stability there to propel the economic development of its society."

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