( CNN ) -- Mauritania 's president was admitted to a French military hospital for treatment Sunday , hours after he took to his country 's airwaves to say troops had shot him by accident . Doctors will treat President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz at a military hospital outside Paris , France 's Defense Ministry said . `` I want to reassure all citizens of my well-being after the accident committed by an army unit on an unpaved road around Touela . ... Everything is fine , '' Aziz said in an interview broadcast on official Mauritanian television earlier Sunday . Troops shot the president late Saturday in what the government is calling a case of `` friendly fire '' -- though others believe it may have been something more sinister . Aziz 's convoy mistakenly came under fire as it was heading back toward the capital of Nouakchott , the official AMI news agency reported . The gunshots came from a military unit stationed alongside the road in the west African country . French officials did not provide details about the president 's treatment or prognosis . Mauritania : Slavery 's last stronghold . Aziz said earlier Sunday that he had a successful operation to treat minor injuries . But witnesses said they believe the incident was an assassination attempt , because unknown armed men shot their guns at the president and ran away , according to the independent Mauritania News agency . The witnesses said the armed men `` directly '' targeted the president as he was returning from his farm in Inchiri province , near the capital , Mauritania News reported . Mauritania has a history of political instability and faces threats from al Qaeda militants . A former general , Aziz came to power in a bloodless 2008 military coup -- one of many such coups the country of about 3.4 million people has had since it gained independence from France in 1960 . He ousted Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi , who had been the nation 's first democratically elected leader , according to the U.S. State Department . Aziz was elected president in 2009 . Still , the CIA describes the country 's leadership as a `` military junta . '' Security in Mauritania has been ratcheted up in recent weeks amid concerns about `` armed terrorist groups '' in nearby northern Mali , according to Magharebia , a website sponsored by the U.S. Africa Command -- a part of the U.S. military focused on the continent . The measures include a bolstered security presence on main streets , near embassies and by government buildings in Nouakchott , as well as stepped-up patrols , Magharebia said . No official reason has been given for the enhanced security , according to the report . But the publication , quoting terrorism experts and local news reports , said it may be related to threats posed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb . In May , the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for Mauritania because of AQIM activities . `` As a result of perceived Western involvement in counterterrorism efforts , AQIM has declared its intention to attack Western targets , '' the warning said . The United States engages with Mauritania on a range of issues , including counterterrorism , food security , trade promotion and efforts to strengthen human rights , the State Department said . European official : Al Qaeda threat in northern Africa 'spreading ' Mauritania : Former Gadhafi spy chief extradited to Libya . Mauritanian refugees make new home in Ohio . CNN 's Amir Ahmed contributed to this report .
France 's defense ministry says Mauritania 's president will be treated there . The president says he is fine , that it was an ` ` . '' Witnesses say the incident was an assassination attempt , local news reports . Soldiers mistakenly open fire on Mauritania 's presidential palace , state news reports .