The African Union has suspended Mali’s membership in response to last week’s military coup and threatened sanctions if a civilian-led government is not restored, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The latest development follows the suspension of Mali from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday.
The military arrested interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane last week and pressured them to resign, derailing a transition to democratic elections after another military coup last August ousted the previous administration.
Former vice president Assimi Goita, a colonel who led the August coup and last week’s revolt, was declared president on Friday.
The African Union called for “an unimpeded, transparent and swift return to the civilian-led transition … failing which, the Council will not hesitate to impose targeted sanctions,” the AU’s Peace and Security Council said.
The African Union suspended Mali after last August’s coup but reinstated the country a few weeks later after the heads of the new civilian-led transitional government were announced.
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