"Everything is on hold," a World Bank official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We are assessing the situation".

The bank has about $366 million in existing commitments to Mauritania and an additional $37 million in the pipeline over the next three years.

The United States and former colonial power France have suspended aid to Mauritania in protest against the overthrow of President Didi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, the country's first democratically-elected leader since independence in 1974. Meanwhile, the African Union has suspended Mauritania's membership.

Also, the European Union said on Tuesday it wants to suspend aid to Mauritania and freeze a fishing. A decision by the EU will be taken by its 27 governments next month.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick visited the Islamic Saharan state in January to bolster ties with Abdallahi's government and underscore its commitment to fight corruption and reform the economy, where the private-sector is controlled by a handful of elites.

Abdallahi was toppled on August 6 by soldiers led by the presidential guard after he tried to sack senior officers. The country's new leaders, led by presidential guard chief Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, has said they will appoint a new government to run the country until elections are held.

Abdallahi's government won $2 billion in donor support, mainly from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, during a conference in Paris in December