Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi

Abdallahi was born in 1938 in the village of Lamden,[4] near Aleg in southern Mauritania whilst a French colony, about 250 kilometers from the capital Nouakchott.[5] He received his primary education in Aleg and his secondary education in Rosso, Mauritania and then at the École normale supérieure William Ponty in Senegal. He subsequently studied mathematics, physics, and chemistry in Dakar, Senegal and received a diplôme d'études approfondies in economics in Grenoble, France.[6]

In 1968, Abdallahi returned to Mauritania to become Director of the Plan. He worked on the Second Plan for Economic and Social Development.[7] In 1971, he was appointed as Minister of Planning and Industrial Development in September 1971 by the first post-independence president, Moktar Ould Daddah. During the 1970s he served in a series of positions in the government, including that of Minister of State for the National Economy in 1975[7][8] and Minister of Planning and Mines in 1976.[9] As Minister of Planning and Mines he was involved in the nationalization of the iron mines and the introduction of the ouguiya as the nation's currency.[8]

Following the coup d'état that ousted President Daddah in July 1978, Abdallahi was imprisoned until April 1979.[8] From 1982 to late 1985 Abdallahi lived in Kuwait, where he worked as an adviser to the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.[7][10] When he returned to Mauritania in 1986, he served in the government under President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. Under the Taya administration, he served as Minister of Hydraulics and Energy in 1986 and then as Minister of Fishing and the Maritime Economy in 1987. After a clash with influential businessmen over fishing policies, he was replaced on 21 September 1987. From September 1989 until June 2003 he lived in Niger, working again for the Kuwait Fund as an adviser.[7][10]

Abdallahi announced his candidacy for president on 4 July 2006.[5] He ran as an independent[8][11] and was viewed by some as the candidate representing the ruling Military Council for Justice and Democracy.[12] The Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change, which won a large portion of the seats in parliament in the 2006 parliamentary election, sent a letter to various international organizations, including the African Union, accusing the junta of "running an open campaign in favor of one candidate" through various methods, including asking influential people in the country to back their favored candidate, although the letter did not directly name Abdallahi as this candidate.[13]

In the first round of the election, held on 11 March 2007, Abdallahi took first place with 24.80% of the vote.[14] A second round was planned for 25 March between Abdallahi and the second-place candidate, Ahmed Ould Daddah.[15] On 17 March, the third-place candidate, Zeine Ould Zeidane, announced his support for Abdallahi in the second round.[16] Fourth-place candidate Messaoud Ould Boulkheir also announced his support for Abdallahi on 19 March.[17]

Following the second round of polling, Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine declared Abdallahi the winner on 26 March, saying that he won 52.85% of the vote.[18] Abdallahi won 10 of the country's 13 regions.[19] He took office on 19 April 2007[2] and named Zeidane as Prime Minister on the next day.[20]

After the government announced a US$112 million budget deficit, mostly due to shortfalls in oil exports due to technical problems, the president decided to take a 25% pay cut and encourage other members of the government to do so on 7 June 2007.[21]

Abdallahi addressed the nation on 29 June for the first time since taking office. In this speech, he referred to the "dark years" of 1989–91, condemning the violence of that time, expressing compassion for its victims, and emphasizing the importance of tolerance and reconciliation. He said that "the State will entirely assume its responsibility to ensure the return" of Mauritanian refugees and promised that they could all "benefit from a reintegration programme in their native lands with the support of the HCR, the Mauritanian state, united national effort and the cooperation of our development partners." He also mentioned an anti-slavery bill approved by the government.[22]

Plans by Abdallahi's supporters to create a new party to back him were initiated in 2007; the opposition criticized this as potentially meaning a return to a single-party dominant system, as existed under Taya.[23] The party, the National Pact for Democracy and Development (Adil), was established at a constitutive congress in early January 2008.[24]

On 26 September 2007, while Abdallahi was at the United Nations in New York City, he met a delegation of the African Liberation Forces of Mauritania (FLAM), a movement seeking the improvement of the conditions of black Mauritanians; this marked the first talks between a Mauritanian head of state and FLAM since it was banned in 1986.[25]

Abdallahi subsequently returned to Lemden. On 22 January 2009, he attempted to travel to Nouakchott to deliver a speech, but his motorcade was stopped by security forces at Wad Naga, outside of the city. The security forces said that he was not allowed into Nouakchott with a motorcade, but Abdallahi was unwilling to enter the city without his motorcade and instead chose to return to Lemden.[45]

Abdullah later retired from politics. After suffering heart trouble he died in a private clinic in Nouakchott on 22 November 2020.[46] President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who had succeeded Aziz in 2019, announced three days of national mourning.[47]

Wikinews has related news: Mauritania president Abdallahi arrested in coup

• Biography by CIDOB Foundation