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ADDIS ABABA. — The African Union (AU) has suspended Mali’s membership in response to the ouster by soldiers of its president and government in a coup, the AU Peace and Security Department announced on Wednesday.

“The African Union Peace and Security Council suspends Mali from the African Union until the restoration of constitutional order and demands the release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the prime minister and other government officials forcibly detained by the army,” the department tweeted.

Meanwhile, AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat strongly condemned the forced detention of President of Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, his prime minister and other members of the Malian Government, calling for their immediate release.

Keita announced his resignation on Tuesday evening after mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint along with his prime minister.

On Wednesday morning, the military leaders behind the coup, a group calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of People (CNSP), addressed the nation promising a political transition, elections within a “reasonable time,” and a national curfew, CNN reported. — MENA.