African Union suspends Mali

 The African Union (AU) suspended last Wednesday the Republic of Mali, following the military coup d'état in that country last Tuesday. 

 

The decision came out of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) meeting, the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a note.

Mali's suspension from African Union bodies is expected to last until the restoration of constitutional order.

The continental organization followed the measure announced by the Commonwealth of West African States (ECOWAS).

At last Wednesday's meeting, the PSC condemned the seizure of power by force, demanded the immediate restoration of constitutional order, the immediate release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Prime Minister Boubou Cissé, and arrested officials.

In the framework of the meeting, Nigeria and Ghana also argued that the military should be given some time before the PSC adopts these measures, a position that was not supported by the other members.

On Tuesday, Mali's elected President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and his prime minister were arrested during a military-led riot and taken to an army base in Kati.

Hours later, the military forces that seized power, calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, announced a "civil political transition" that would lead to general elections within a "reasonable time".

In the sequence, Ibrahim Keita informed, in the dawn of Tuesday, announced his resignation, that of the government and the dissolution of the parliament, in a declaration transmitted by the state television.

However, the military coup that forced President Ibrahim Keita's resignation and the fall of the government has been widely condemned by the international community and Mali's regional partners.