Editing History of Mauritania (section)

==1978 to 1984==
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{{main|History of Mauritania (1978–84)}}
In 1979, Polisario broke off the cease-fire and unleashed a string of new attacks on military and government targets. Mauritania, under its new government, immediately returned to the table to meet Polisario's goals, declaring full peace, a complete troop retreat, relinquishing their portion of Western Sahara and recognizing the Front as the Sahrawi people's sole representative.[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+mr0037)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917102551/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+mr0037) |date=2008-09-17 }} 

Morocco, occupying the northern half of Western Sahara and also involved in combat against Polisario, reacted with outrage, and launched a [[1981 Mauritanian coup attempt|failed 1981 coup]] against the CMSN.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ap |date=1981-03-17 |title=MAURITANIA REPORTS IT HAS FOILED AN ATTEMPTED COUP BY 2 EXILES |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/17/world/mauritania-reports-it-has-foiled-an-attempted-coup-by-2-exiles.html |access-date=2023-10-22 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2018-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125185053/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/17/world/mauritania-reports-it-has-foiled-an-attempted-coup-by-2-exiles.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Mauritania broke off relations with [[Rabat]] in protest, although ties were later restored.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/2483315.stm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214133448/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/2483315.stm |date=2005-12-14 }}[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+mr0038)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917102407/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+mr0038) |date=2008-09-17 }} 

In interior policy, Ould Haidallah sought to improve relations between White Moors and Black Moors, among other things officially decreeing the ban of [[slavery]] for the first time in the country's history, but he neither tried nor achieved a radical break with the sectarian and discriminating policies of previous regimes. An attempt to reinstate civilian rule was abandoned after the above-mentioned Moroccan-sponsored coup attempt nearly brought down the regime; foreign-backed plots also involved [[Persian Gulf]] countries and [[Libya]], and the country several times appeared to be under military threat from Morocco.[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+mr0038)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917102407/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+mr0038) |date=2008-09-17 }}   

With Ould Haidallah's ambitious political and social reform program undone by continuing instability, regime inefficiency and a plethora of coup attempts and intrigues from within the military establishment, the CMSN Chairman turned increasingly autocratic, excluding other ''junta'' officers from power, and provoking discontent by frequently reshuffling the power hierarchy to prevent threats to his position.

On December 12, 1984, Col. [[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]] deposed Haidallah and declared himself Chairman of the CMSN. Like other rulers before him, he promised a swift transfer to [[democracy]], but then made little of these promises.