Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was born December 1956 in Akjoujt. He joined the armed forces in 1977 and attended the Royal Military Academy in Meknes, Morocco. As a high-ranking soldier and commander of the Presidential Guard, Abdel Aziz was very instrumental in the August 2005 military coup that ousted then-president Maaouiya Ould Taya. In August 2008, he led a second coup that deposed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. He was declared the winner of the July 2009 presidential elections and sworn in on August 5th, 2009.