PARIS, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - A group of Mauritanian generals are believed to be holding Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf prisoner in the capital Nouakchott, the French foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

'We are in contact with our embassy to obtain confirmation of the events that appear to be taking place in Nouakchott. Based on initial information, it seems that a group of generals are holding the prime minister,' a ministry spokesman told AFP.