'''Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya''' () (s. 1941), oli Mauritanian presidentti vuosina 1984-2005.
 
Taya syntyi Adraran alueella Keski-Mauritaniassa.Ould Taya oli  ranskalais-arabialaisessa peruskoulussa  vuosina  1949-1955. Myöhemmin hän oli myöhemmin   Rosso High Schoolissa Etelä-Mauritaniassa. Valmistautumisen jälkeen Taya meni ranskalaiseen sotilaskouluun vuonna 1960 josta valmistui upseeriksi. Vuonna 1978 Mauritaniann armeija syrjäytti presidentti Moktar Ould Daddahin, juntta pelkäsi että se joutuisi sotaan Länsi-Saharan Polisario-liikettä vastaan joten Taya  joutui värväytymään armeijaan. Taya palveli Länsi-Saharassa vuosina 1975-1979. Taya solmi suhteita maan hallitukseen ja armeijaan. 

Taya sai monia ylennyksiä armeijassa kunnes hänestä tuli armeijan henkilökunnan johtaja tammikuussa vuonna 1981. 
Hän oli maan pääministeri huhtikuusta 1981 maaliskuuhun 1984. Silloin maa oli vielä juntan alainen.
Taya syrjäytti maan johtajan  Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallan 12. tammikuuta 1984 ja julisti itsensä armeijan johtoon.  

Tayan hallitus kun muut maan entiset hallitukset, Tayan hallitus rupesi pitämään valkoisia maureja maassa ja mustat maurit ja muut värilliset afrikkalaiset alistettiin ja ei-arabivaltaisessa etelässä mielenosoitukset tukahdutettiin. 

Libaralismin aikana ensimmäiset vapaat vaalit järjestettiin vuonna 1992. 
Taya joka oli Demokraattisen ja sosiaalisen tasavalta puolueen ehdokas sai 62,8&nbsp;% äänistä, vaikka oppositio syytti vaalivilpistä, Taya sai jatko ajan presidenttinä. 

{{Infobox_President 
| name=Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya<br>معاوية ولد سيد أحمد الطايع
|image=Mauritania gov ould taya 210 eng 30apr05.jpg
|imagesize=100px
| nationality= Mauritanian
| order= President
| term_start= 12 December 1984
| term_end=3 August, 2005
| predecessor= Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
| successor= Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
| birth_date= 1941
| birth_place= Atar, Mauritania
| deatd=alive
| spouse=
| party=
| religion= Sunni Islam
| vicepresident=
}}
'''Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya''' () (born transliterated as '''Mu'awiya walad Sayyidi Ahmad Taya''', was president of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. 

==Early years==
Born in the town of Atar (Adrar Region), Ould Taya attended a Franco-Arabic Primary School from 1949 to 1955. He then attended Rosso High School in southern Mauritania. After graduation, he attended a French military school in 1960 and graduated as an officer. In 1975, he received strategic training at the French War Academy. In 1978 the Mauritanian army seized power and ousted President Moktar Ould Daddah, in an attempt to forestall government collapse in the war over Western Sahara against the Polisario Front (1975-79). Ould Taya was among the conspirators, and quickly gained influence within the government.

==President of Mauritania==

After holding various positions in the military, Ould Taya was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army in January 1981, during the rule of military head of state Prime Minister on 25 April 1981, replacing civilian prime minister Sid Ahmed Ould Bneijara. He held this office until 8 March 1984, when Ould Haidalla, who was still head of state, took over the post. On 12 December 1984, while Ould Haidalla was out of the country, Ould Taya seized power and declared himself Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation.

The Ould Taya government continued to, in the tradition of previous governments, favor the White Moorish community in Mauritania. Black Moors and Black Africans were discriminated against, and political unrest in the non-Arab south was put down with military means.

Ould Taya's regime began a transition to civilian, political parties;<ref name="Elections"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/39080.stm "Mauritanian president wins poll"], BBC.co.uk, December 13, 1997.</ref> anticipating fraud, they said that this would make their participation futile.<ref>Themon Djaksam, [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQP/is_295/ai_30126497 "Country profile: Mauritania"], ''New Internationalist'', October 1997.</ref>

==Political instability==

The last years of Ould Taya's rule were marred by unrest within the military and hostility between the regime and the country's Islamists. Ould Taya's harsh response to the religious opposition triggered criticisms from abroad. Ould Taya also moved away from his support of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, and moved towards the West.<ref>Ahmed Mohamed, [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20050810-1401-mauritania-freedislamists.html "Freed Islamic leaders in Mauritania say ousted leader's policies fomented extremism"], Associated Press, August 10, 2005.</ref> In late 1999, Mauritania established full diplomatic relations with Israel, becoming only the third Arab country to do so.<ref>Barry Schweid, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991028/aponline125956_000.htm "Mauritania, Israel Form Ties"], Associated Press (''The Washington Post''), October 28, 1999.</ref> Ould Taya's close ties with Israel and the United States served to deepen the opposition to his rule.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4743707.stm "Q&A: Mauritania's power struggles"], BBC News, August 3, 2005.</ref>

In a presidential election was held, which was won by Ould Taya with over 67% of the vote.<ref name="Elections"/>  The opposition again denounced the result as fraudulent; the second place candidate, former ruler Ould Haidalla, was arrested both immediately before and after the election, and was accused of plotting a coup.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3254431.stm "Top Mauritanian politician held"], BBC News, November 9, 2003.</ref> In August 2004, the government arrested more alleged coup plotters, who it said had planned to overthrow Ould Taya when he took a planned trip to France; some, however, doubted the existence of this plot and suspected that it was a pretext for a crackdown.<ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=50989 "Defence minister confirms coup plot, arrests"], IRIN, August 11, 2004.</ref> In late September, the government claimed to have thwarted yet another plot to oust Ould Taya.<ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=51538 "Government says foils third coup plot in 15 months"], IRIN, September 29, 2004.</ref>

Anticipating an increase in government revenue through the exploitation of natural resources, particularly offshore oil deposits, Ould Taya announced an increase in pay for the civil service and pensions in November 2004.<ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=52265 "President raises wages ahead of oil boom"], IRIN, November 30, 2004.</ref>

==Fall from power==