West African leaders condemned the coup and called for the restoration of democracy, but no new sanctions have been imposed.

In response to the coup d’etat last week, West African leaders have withdrawn Mali from their regional blocs, but have not yet imposed new sanctions.

The leaders of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held an emergency summit in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Sunday and agreed to respond to the actions of the Malian military The downfall of the President and Prime Minister The second time in nine months.

Mali’s neighbours and major international powers worry that the recent uprising will jeopardize the promise of holding a presidential election in February next year and undermine the regional struggles of armed groups linked to Al-Qaida and Islamic State (ISIS).

Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Shirley Ayorkor Botchway said after the meeting that Mali’s suspension from ECOWAS “will take effect immediately until the deadline at the end of February 2022”, By then, the country’s interim leader “should be handed over to a democratically elected government”.

The EU’s final communiqué also called for the immediate appointment of a new civilian prime minister and the formation of an “inclusive” government.

However, it did not announce sanctions like those imposed after the coup d’état last August, which caused members to temporarily close the border with inland Mali and stop financial transactions.

It also did not ask for new Interim President Assimi Goita Step down. The army colonel who led the August coup and last week’s uprising was declared president on Friday.

The statement said that instead, the head of the transitional government, the vice president and the prime minister should not be candidates for the planned presidential election under any circumstances. It emphasized: “The date for the announcement of the presidential election on February 27, 2022 should absolutely be maintained.”

Gotta, who attended the summit, did not immediately respond.

The 38-year-old special forces commander was one of several colonels who overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last year. Hours after the cabinet was reorganized, he also ordered the arrest of interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

Ndaw’s former deputy prime minister, Goita, defended his actions. He said there were differences within the transitional government and according to the transitional charter, he was not consulted when choosing a new cabinet.

Ndaw and Ouane resigned while still in custody on Wednesday and were later released under house arrest.

ECOWAS condemned the arrest in its statement, saying it violated the mediation steps taken after the Iraq war. August coup. The EU requires the Malian authorities to immediately release the currency pair.

It also continued to express its “deep concern about the current crisis in Mali” and noted that “in view of the ongoing terrorist attacks and the security challenges posed by COVID, this situation is close to half of the agreed transition period. -19 pandemic and its severity The socio-economic impact of “.

Other agencies, including the United Nations and the African Union, also condemned the seizure of power. The UN Security Council stated that the resignations of Ndaw and Ouane were coerced and the United States had withdrawn its support for security forces.

France and the European Union threatened sanctions at the same time.

French leader Emmanuel Macron said in an interview in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper published on Sunday that Paris “cannot stand by a country that no longer has democratic legitimacy or transition. “.

He warned that if France falls into “radical Islamism” under Goita’s leadership, France will withdraw its troops from Mali.

France has approximately 5,100 soldiers in the area under Operation Barkhane, which spans five countries in the Sahel-Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

When the heads of state of ECOWAS met in Ghana, the long-term turmoil in Mali was highlighted. The attackers killed four civilians and a police officer in southern Mali. Most of the area has not been attacked by the country’s unrest before.

An unnamed security officer told AFP that the unidentified man attacked a checkpoint near the town of Bougouni, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border between Mali and Ivory Coast and Guinea before dawn.

A local lawmaker confirmed the attack.