The BBC is reporting that there has been a military coup in Mauritania.
It is not, I must admit, a country I know very much about. The Beeb is flagging up the country's status as an Islamic Republic and related tensions arising from international diplomacy in its potted background paragraphs:
Critics accuse the government of using the US-led war on terror to crackdown on Islamic opponents.
Mr Taya has also prompted widespread opposition by establishing links with Israel.
But the Observer blog wonders whether the fact that Mauritania has relatively newly discovered offshore oil and gas reserves, currently being developed by international investors and due to begin production later this year or the beginning of next year might also have something to do with these latest developments.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps it's just a coincidence.
