Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya

Mu'awiya al-Taya
معاوية الطايع
Al-Taya in 2003
5th President of Mauritania
In office 12 December 1984 – 3 August 2005
Preceded by	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Succeeded by	Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
5th Prime Minister of Mauritania
In office 25 April 1981 – 8 March 1984
Preceded by	Sid'Ahmed Bneijara
Succeeded by	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
In office 12 December 1984 – 18 April 1992
Preceded by	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Succeeded by	Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar
Personal details
Born	(1941-11-28) 28 November 1941 (age 82) Atar, French Mauritania
Political party	Democratic Republican Party for Renewal (PRDS)
Military service
Branch/service	Mauritanian Army
Years of service	1961–1992
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	Western Sahara War

Mu'awiya Ould Sid'Ahmed al-Taya^[a] (born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the President of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. He also served as the fifth Prime minister of Mauritania from 1981 to 1992 except for a brief period in 1984.

Born in Atar, French Mauritania, al-Taya studied at Franco-Arab school and then French military school. He participated in the Western Sahara War against the Polisario Front. Al-Taya was appointed Chief of the Army staff in January 1981 and then as prime minister in April 1981 after an unsuccessful coup attempt against Mohamed Haidalla.

Having come to power through a bloodless military coup, he won the 2003 elections^[1] and was ousted by a military coup in 2005. During his presidency, he pursued policies of Arab nationalism and deepening ties with the United States. He established close relations with Saddam Hussein of Iraq and had a pro-Iraqi stance on the Gulf War. Mu'awiya al-Taya himself is sometimes termed "Saddam Hussein of Africa".^[2]

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