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The African Union (AU) has decided to suspend Mali again following a second military coup in nine months.
The body’s Peace and Security Council disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday a few days after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), also announced the suspension of Mali from its institutions.
In its statement, the AU called for the military to “urgently and unconditionally return to the barracks, and to refrain from further interference in the political processes in Mali”.
It warned that if the military did not hand back power to civilian transitional leaders, “the Council will not hesitate to impose targeted sanctions and other punitive measures”.
Mali’s new president Colonel Assimi Goita seized power by deposing the president and prime minister and forced their resignations, a move regional bloc leaders condemned and said violated mediation steps.
The Sahelian country has experienced two coups in nine months.
