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Mohamed Ould Ghazouani

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General
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
محمد ولد الغزواني
Ghazouani in 2022
9th President of Mauritania
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 August 2019
Prime MinisterMohamed Salem Ould Béchir
Ismail Ould Bedde Ould Cheikh Sidiya
Mohamed Ould Bilal
Mokhtar Ould Djay
Preceded byMohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
22nd Chairperson of the African Union
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 February 2024
Preceded byAzali Assoumani
Minister of Defense
In office
October 2018 – 15 March 2019
PresidentMohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Prime MinisterMohamed Salem Ould Béchir
Preceded byJallow Mamadou Bhatia
Succeeded byYahya Ould Hademine
Chief of Army Staff
In office
13 May 2008 – 6 November 2018
PresidentMohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Preceded byFelix Negri[1]
Succeeded byMohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed Lemine
Personal details
Born (1956-12-04) 4 December 1956 (age 68)[2]
Boumdeid, Assaba Region, Colonial Mauritania
Political partyEquity Party (since 2022)
Other political
affiliations		Union for the Republic (until 2022)
SpouseMariem Mint Dah
Children6
ResidencePresidential Palace, Nouakchott
EducationMeknes Royal Military Academy
Occupation
  • Politician
  • military officer
Military service
Allegiance Mauritania
Branch/serviceMauritanian Army
Years of service1970s–2018
Rank General
CommandsGeneral Director of National Security
Chief of National Army Staff
This article is part of a series about
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
Military career
Political career
9th President of Mauritania

Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani (Arabic: محمد ولد الشيخ محمد أحمد ولد الغزواني; born 4 December 1956), also known as Ghazouani[3] and Ould Ghazouani,[4] is a Mauritanian politician and retired army general who has served as the 9th President of Mauritania since 2019,[5][6] and the chairperson of the African Union since February 2024.[7]

Ghazouani is a former general-director of National Security[2] and former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Mauritania (2008–2018).[8] He was defense minister of Mauritania from October 2018 to March 2019.[9][10] At that time a close ally of his predecessor Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, he was elected president of Mauritania on 22 June 2019 following the 2019 presidential election.[6] His victory in the 2019 presidential election was presented as having been the country's first peaceful transition of power since independence.[11]

Ghazouani has overseen a period of relative stability in Mauritania. He has worked to improve social security and combat corruption, including the arrest of his predecessor. Ghazouani also played a crucial role in eliminating jihadist violence, modernizing the military, and engaging with communities and Islamist groups.[12]

Personal life

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Ghazouani was born in Boumdeid, Assaba region on 4 December 1956.[13] He belongs to a well-known Sufi family in Mauritania. Ghazouani is the son of a spiritual leader of the Maraboutic tribe Ideiboussat.[14] Ghazouani has memorised the Quran.[15]

He is married to a doctor, Mariam Bint Mohamed Fadel Ould Dah.[14][16] They have five children, from whom Mohamed Lemine Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani is the eldest son.[17]

Career

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Military career

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He joined the Mauritanian Army in the late 1970s. He continued his training as an officer in the Meknes Royal Military Academy in Morocco.[18][19][20] He received a baccalaureate degree, a master's degree in Administration and Military Sciences, and completed several war training certificates and courses.[17][21]

Ghazouani was aide-de-camp to President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya from 1987 to 1991.[22]

Ghazouani was an ally of former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz,[23] and was his partner in the overthrow of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi in 2008, and was a member of the military junta that ousted former President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya in 2005.[24][10]

Political career

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In October 2018, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz named Ghazouani as Defense Minister of Mauritania.[10][25]

On 1 March 2019, Ghazouani announced his candidacy for the presidency, seeking to replace Abdel Aziz.[26][4][3] On 15 March he resigned as defense minister to pursue his presidential ambition.[27]

Presidency (2019–)

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On 22 June 2019, Ghazouani became Mauritania's elected president after a presidential election against five other candidates.[17] On 1 August 2019, he was officially sworn in as the 9th President of Mauritania.[28]

Shortly after being sworn in, his relations with former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz soured, due to revelations of financial misconduct committed by the former president. A parliamentary probe was opened into Aziz’s activities in August 2020, and he was officially sentenced in December 2023. Aziz claimed that Ghazouani had given the former president two large bags filled with seven million euros after being elected.[29]

As defense minister and president, Ghazouani significantly contributed to defeating al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, which had carried out deadly attacks in Mauritania from 2005 to 2011. His efforts, including community outreach, mediation with Islamist groups, and military upgrades, have been considered effective against armed militant Jihadists.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Colonel Felix Negri, Chief of National Army Staff from 24 December 2007 to 13 May 2008". Mauritanian National Army (in Arabic). 15 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b "السيرة الذاتية للفريق محمد ولد الغزواني - أقــــلام حرة". aqlame.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b "غزواني يعلن ترشحه للانتخابات الرئاسية". 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b "ولد الغزواني: للعهد عندي معناه، وأسعى لتحقيق طموح الشعب". الأخبار: أول وكالة أنباء موريتانية مستقلة. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Ghazouani sworn in as new Mauritanian president: CENI". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Mauritania Constitutional Council Confirms Mohamed Ould Ghazouani as President". Voice of America. July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  7. ^ "President of Mauritania Elected As New Chairperson of AU". ENA English. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Mohamed Ould Ghazouani Declares himself Winner of Mauritania Presidential Polls". Asharq AL-awsat. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  9. ^ "صديق الرئيس وزيرا للدفاع.. ماذا يرتّب جنرالات موريتانيا قبيل الرئاسيات؟". www.aljazeera.net. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Mauritania's new president". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  11. ^ "First peaceful transfer of power in Mauritania's presidential polls". RFI. 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Mauritania is a beacon of stability in the coup-prone Sahel". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  13. ^ سيدي, أحمد ولد. "من هو الرئيس الموريتاني الجديد؟". alaraby. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  14. ^ a b Spiegel, Justine (20 November 2012). "Mauritanie: Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, l'homme de l'ombre". Jeune Afrique. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  15. ^ "رئيس موريتانيا الجديد.. حفظ القرآن مبكرا وهو أول "فريق" في الجيش". الأخبار. 3 August 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  16. ^ "في أول ظهور إعلامي لها زوجة وزير الدفاع ومرشح الرئاسيات ولد الغزواني تتحدث في مقابلة | الحقيقة". www.alhakika.info. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  17. ^ a b c "محمد ولد الشيخ الغزواني.. من هو رئيس موريتانيا الجديد؟". سكاي نيوز عربية. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  18. ^ "AMI - Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazwani". olden.ami.mr. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Mauritanie : Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, l'homme de l'ombre – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 20 November 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Mauritanie. Ghazouani: qui est le nouveau président mauritanien?". Le 360 Afrique (in French). Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  21. ^ Welle, Deutsche (23 June 2019). "Mauritania: Former General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani wins presidential election". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Biographie du president". presidence.mr.
  23. ^ "Mauritania opposition challenges ruling party win". 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
  24. ^ "ولد الغزواني، جنرال "يخلف" جنرالاً في حكم موريتانيا". BBC News عربي. 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  25. ^ "Mauritania appointments reflect jockeying for succession | Lamine Ghanmi". AW. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  26. ^ "وزير الدفاع الموريتاني يخلع بزته العسكرية لخلافة رفيقه في القصر". www.aljazeera.net. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Mauritania's electoral commission confirms Ghazouani win | The Star". thestar.com. 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  28. ^ "New government formed in Mauritania". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  29. ^ "Mauritania ex-president Aziz sentenced to 5 years for corruption". France 24. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
[edit]
  • Media related to Mohamed Ould Ghazouani at Wikimedia Commons
  • Quotations related to Mohamed Ould Ghazouani at Wikiquote
  • Mauritania President Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani Addresses 78th UNGA
  • Mohamed Ould Cheikh AI- Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Cur rent president of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union
Political offices
Preceded by President of Mauritania
2019–present 		Incumbent
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