Cheikh El Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna

Who is Cheikh El Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna?

Cheikh El Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna is a Mauritanian political figure. He was Prime Minister of Mauritania from 2 January 1996 to 18 December 1997, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 12 July 1998 to 16 November 1998, and Prime Minister again from 16 November 1998 to 6 July 2003 under President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya; later, he briefly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs again in 2008.

Khouna was born in Amourj, Hodh Ech Chargui. He was Director of the Algerian-Mauritanian Fishing Company from 1992 to 1993, then became Secretary-General of the Mauritanian Ministry of Fishing in 1994. He was subsequently appointed to the government as Minister of Fishing in 1995. After serving as Prime Minister from 1996 to 1997, he became Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency in 1998, then Minister of Foreign Affairs in the same year. He subsequently served a second period as Prime Minister from 1998 to 2003.

In the government of Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef, named on May 11, 2008, Khouna was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The inclusion of Khouna and others who had served under Taya in Waghef's government was controversial, however.