“Qatar has granted Ould Taya political asylum in accordance with provisions of the Qatari constitution which went into effect earlier this year,” the source told AFP, requesting anonymity.

But the ousted Mauritanian president “has been asked not to engage in any political activity with a view to preserving relations between Doha and Nouakchott,” the source said.

Ould Taya arrived in Qatar on Monday, nearly three weeks after he was toppled in a bloodless coup on August 3 while he was out of the country.

Mohamad Ould Ali, the private teacher of the exiled leader, said on their arrival in Qatar that Ould Taya was in “high spirits.”