The African Union on Wednesday suspended Mali’s membership until further notice following a military takeover of the country which resulted in the sudden resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his government.
“African Union Peace and Security Council suspends Mali from African Union until restoration of constitutional order and demands release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the Prime Minister & other government officials forcibly detained by the army,” the AU’s Peace and Security Department tweeted.
The suspension comes shortly after the African Union Chairman President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the unconstitutional change of government in Mali and called for an immediate return to civilian rule and for the military to return to their barracks.
Keita resigned and dissolved parliament late on Tuesday just hours after mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint, plunging a country already facing a jihadist insurgency and mass protests deeper into crisis.
International and regional powers fear political instability in Mali could undermine their military campaigns against Islamist militants in West Africa’s Sahel region.
Last year in June, the Peace and Security Council also suspended Sudan after the removal of Omar al-Bashir from office to pressure the Transition Military Council to handover power to a civilian-led transitional authority.
The Council also threatened to impose sanctions on individuals and entities obstructing the establishment of the civilian-led transitional authority.
