A prominent Mauritanian student group voiced its rejection Sunday of a visit by an Egyptian cultural delegation led by interim Culture Minister Mohamed Arab, accusing the delegation of promoting last year's "military coup" against ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

The 'Student Initiative for Resisting Zionist Infiltration' accused the Mauritanian government of "promoting Egypt's military coup and whitewashing its ugly image" by welcoming the Egyptian delegation into the country.

The Egyptian delegation arrived in Nouakchott on Saturday for a four-day visit to attend a ceremony marking the 50th  anniversary of the Egyptian Cultural Centre in Mauritania, according to Egypt's state news agency.

The Mauritanian student group called on the country's intellectuals and artists to boycott the celebration.

Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, was removed by the military last July following protests against his single-year rule.

Since his ouster, the country's military-backed interim government launched a sustained crackdown on his supporters, in which hundreds have been killed and thousands arrested according to official estimates.

AA