Hospital and military sources said the coup, carried out while Ould Taya was absent in Saudi Arabia for King Fahd's funeral, was entirely bloodless, and that firing heard in Nouakchott Wednesday was warning shots.

Officials of all three hospitals in the city said they had received no casualties from bullet wounds or other violent injuries.

A police officer who backed the coup told AFP, "We did not face any incident requiring the use of force."

The capital was returning to normal Thursday, with businesses and government offices reopening and traffic resuming, while the presence of troops on the streets was greatly reduced.