World leaders and international institutions condemn Mali coup
London, 23 Mar – (ANA) – There has a world-wide condemnation of the coup in Mali as world leaders and international institutions call for restraint and demand an immediate return to constitutional order.

In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for calm and a peaceful resolution of grievances in Mali after rebel soldiers announced they have seized control of the country. “The Secretary-General is following with deep concern the developments today in Mali,” his spokesperson said in a statement
“He calls for calm and for grievances to be resolved peacefully and within the democratic process.” Anger among the rebel troops had reportedly been mounting since January over a lack of support from the Government to help them fight against the Tuareg rebels in the northern part of the country. Renewed fighting between Government troops and the Tuareg has forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes, leaving them in dire need of shelter, food, and other basic needs.

In Berlin, German Minister of State Cornelia Pieper called for an immediate end to the violence in Mali. “The German Government emphatically condemns the unconstitutional takeover by the military in Mali. We call on all those involved to refrain from further violence and demand an immediate return to the constitutional order,” the minister said.

In Washington, the World Bank and the African Development Bank condemned the military coup and suspended project financing to the country. In a joint statement, the banks said "Our development operations are suspended, with the exception of emergency assistance," and called for a speedy resolution of the crisis.

In London, Amnesty International urged leaders of the military coup to release the prime minister and other politicians from custody and take steps to protect human rights. At least three members of the government including the prime minister, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, and the Minister of the Territorial administration, Kafougouna Koné, were arrested yesterday. It is thought they are being held at the military camp in Kati 20 km from the capital Bamako.

In Brussels, the EU says it has suspended development operations in Mali until the situation clarifies. For the 2008-2013, the European Commission planned to allocate €583 million of development aid to Mali. This aid aims to strengthen sustainable and inclusive economic development of Mali and support poverty reduction. In addition, these funds are used for food security programmes, improving access to drinking water, support civil society and the migration policy.

In Addis Ababa, the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, expressed concern over attempts by rebel soldiers in the Malian Army to seize power stressing the need to respect constitutional legitimacy as represented by the republican institutions, including the President of the Republic, Head of State, Amadou Toumani Touré.
In a statement, Ping said he would continue to monitor the Malian situation adding that he was in contact with President Thomas Yayi Boni, Chairman of the Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and other relevant international stakeholders. Meanwhile in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, the ECOWAS Commission says it strongly condemns the misguided actions of the mutineers and warns that it will not condone any recourse to violence as a means of seeking redress. The Commission wishes to remind the military of its responsibility under the Constitution, and to reiterate ECOWAS’ policy of “Zero Tolerance” for any attempt to obtain or maintain power by unconstitutional means.

Earlier in the week, rebel troops had appeared on Malian state TV to announce seizing control of the country, hours after attacking the presidential palace. The rebels said that a nationwide curfew was in force and that the constitution had been suspended. The mutineers say the government is not giving them enough arms to tackle a rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs. On Wednesday the mutineers took over the state radio and TV broadcaster in Bamako and took it off air. After several hours of footage of traditional Malian music and dancing, a group of soldiers appeared on screen early on Thursday morning, with a caption identifying them as the "Committee for the Re-establishment of Democracy and the Restoration of the State". A spokesperson for the rebels, identified on screen as Lt Amadou Konare, said they had ended the "incompetent regime" of President Amadou Toumani Toure. Lt Konare condemned the "inability" of the government to "fight terrorism", and said the soldiers would look to hand over to a democratically elected government. (ANA)
FA/ANA/22 March 2012---------