11 August 2008 - 18H00

Mauritanian prime minister freed after coup: spokesman

Mauritanian prime minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf was freed Monday, five days after being seized by troops who overthrew president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, a source close to the ousted premier said.

"The prime minister was freed Monday afternoon along with three other government officials. I understand that only the president is still being held," Mohamed Ould Maayouf, a spokesman for the prime minister, told AFP.

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