The army mistakenly shot the President.

Mauritania President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was accidentally shot by a military unit yesterday, October 14, causing him minor injuries.

Mr. Abdel Aziz is being treated at a military hospital in the capital.Nouakchott, AFP quoted security sources and Communications Minister Hamdi Ould Mahjoub as saying.

“The mistaken shooting of the presidential motorcade occurred while it was on its way backNouakchott“The military unit did not realize it was a presidential motorcade,” Mr. Mahjoub said on national television.

President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
Photo: AFP

“Mauritanians can rest assured that the president is fine. He suffered only minor injuries and got out of the car on his way to the hospital without any assistance,” he said.

Earlier, security sources said Mr Abdel Aziz was shot in the arm by a motorcyclist as he was leaving the capital for a weekend getaway in Tweila. The hospital is being closely monitored by the presidential guard.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a West African country with a population of approximately three million in 2005. Mauritania's civilian government was overthrown on August 6, 2008, in a military coup led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. On August 16, 2009, Mr. Aziz resigned from his military position to run for president, which he won later that year.

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