[5]Early lifeMohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was born in Akjoujt on 20 December 1956. [7]Under President Sidi Ould Cheikh AbdallahiOn 30 August 2007, President Abdallahi named Abdel Aziz his Presidential Chief of Staff (Chef d'Etat-major particulier du Président de la République). On 5 February 2009, Mauritanian state media reported that the General would stand as a candidate for president in that election. [48] Ould Abdel Aziz headed a list of sanctions targets by the African Union which was put into effect on 6 February 2009. [55][56] Initially, Mauritanian radio reported that Abdel Aziz survived an assassination attempt, but Abdel Aziz subsequently said that he was accidentally shot by an army unit and was successfully operated on for minor injuries.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 18, 2020 16:07 UTC