The African Union (AU) has decided to suspend the membership of Mali due to the political crisis in the country. This was reported in a statement released on Tuesday on the organization's website.
"The decision has been taken to immediately suspend the Republic of Mali from participation in all activities of the African Union, its organs and institutions until normal constitutional order is restored in the country," the statement said.
Members of the Union Peace and Security Council strongly condemned the military coup in the country and also demanded that the military return to barracks and refrain from further interference in political processes. The council called for an enabling environment for an unhindered, transparent and rapid return to a civilian-led transition process based on the provisions of the transition charter.
"In the event of non-compliance [with the points of the roadmap], the council will not hesitate to impose targeted sanctions and [take] other punitive measures against any violators of the current transition," the text stated.
Following the August 18, 2020 military coup in Mali, the AU had already suspended the country's membership in response to the military's rebellion. Last October, Mali's membership in the organization was fully restored three days after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) lifted trade and economic sanctions against the country. This step was the result of the state authorities meeting a number of key ECOWAS demands to begin restoring the constitutional powers of the civilian institutions.
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Based on materials from TASS