Mali Suspended from AU After Military Coup Threatens Sanctions

The African Union, on Tuesday, effectively suspended Mali after the second military coup in nine months threatened the already struggling country with sanctions.

This second coup has sparked serious concerns over stability in the volatile Sahel region and warnings of economic penalties from across the international community.

“The AU decides… to immediately suspend the Republic of Mali from participation in all activities of the African Union, its Organs and institutions until normal constitutional order has been restored in the country”, the union’s Peace and Security Council said in a statement late Tuesday.

It also added that the AU is calling for an unimpeded, transparent, and swift return to the civilian-led transition…failing which, the Council will not hesitate to impose targeted sanctions.

The putsch arose after the military arrested interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane last week pressuring them to resign, further derailing the transition to a civilian government after another military coup in August 2020 ousted the previous administration.

Condemning the coup “in the strongest terms possible”, the Council added 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”.

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Mali’s neighboring countries as well as other international bodies have expressed fears that the latest revolt will jeopardize the presidential election already slotted for the February of 2022. They are also concerned that the coup will undermine a regional fight against Islamist militants, some of which are based in Mali’s desert north.

Mali’s suspension also follows a similar purge it received on Sunday from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The African Union reinstated Mali weeks after it had suspended it following the 2020 coup after the heads of the new civilian-led transitional government were announced.