Part 3 What Kind of Government: Civilian or Military?, 3.3 The Changing Role of the Military in Mauritania

In October 1960, a series of negotiations began in Paris culminating in the Treaty of October 19, 1960, under which Mauritania came out of the French Community to gain independence. The treaty was ratified by the French National Assembly on November 28, 1960, which was the first day in the history of the independent Islamic Republic of Mauritania. When Mauritania gained full independence, it was in a desperate state in all social, economic, and military domains. It did not have then a national army, except for a set of ground army units mostly formed of light...