Mali has been suspended from the African Union (AU) over its second coup in nine months.
AU announced Mali’s suspension late on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, threatening the West African nation with sanctions if power is not returned to the civilian transitional government.
The AU’s Peace and Security Council in a statement published on Tuesday evening, observed that Mali is immediately barred from participating in African Union activities.
The statement indicated that it was “deeply concerned about the evolving situation in Mali and its negative impact on the gains made thus far in the transition process in the country.”
Colonel Assimi Goita recently took power in a coup. The military detained the interim prime minister and president and took control, forcing ECOWAS to suspend Mali on Sunday, May 31, 2021.
Following in the footsteps on ECOWAS, the AU says Mali’s suspension would stay in place “until normal constitutional order has been restored.”
By Melvin Tarlue