| 1979 Mauritanian coup d'état | |
| Date: | 6 April 1979 |
| Location: | Nouakchott, Mauritania |
| Type: | Military coup |
| Motive: | Regime change |
| Target: | Presidential Palace, Nouakchott |
| Organisers: | Ahmed Ould Bouceif Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla |
| Participants: | Faction within the Armed Forces |
| Outcome: | Coup succeeds
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The 1979 Mauritanian coup d'état was a military coup in Mauritania which took place on 6 April 1979.[1] The coup was led by Colonel Ahmed Ould Bouceif and Colonel Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, who seized power from the President, Colonel Mustafa Ould Salek, and the 20-member ruling Military Committee for National Recovery (CMRN), a military junta which was created following an earlier coup in 1978.
The coup resulted in the dismissal of the CMRN and the formation of the 24-member Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN), a new junta initially under the presidency of Salek as a figurehead, until his official resignation on 3 June.[2] [3] He was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly.[2] Bouceif was appointed prime minister, and served until his death in an airplane crash in Senegal on 27 May.[4] He was succeeded by Haidalla on 31 May.[5]