Mali suspended from African Union after second coup in nine months

Malian riot police keep supporters away from the vehicle of new President of Mali's transitional government Assimi Goita as he returns from Accra after a meeting with the ECOWAS (The Economic Community of West African States) representatives

The African Union announced it was suspending Mali with immediate effect and threatened the impoverished country with sanctions, after a second military coup in nine months. The putsch has sparked deep 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 body's Peace and Security Council said in a statement late Tuesday. The move follows a similar suspension on Sunday from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).