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Mali coup leader asks for help

March 30, 2012

The leader of Mali's military junta has called for outside help against Tuareg rebels in the north of the country, who have secured the key town of Kidal. Regional neighbors, however, have threatened Mali with sanctions.

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Junta leader Captain Amadou Sanogo walks at the international airport in Bamako Junta leader Captain Amadou Sanogo (L) walks at the international airport during a demonstration against regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) in Bamako March 29, 2012. Jets carrying West African presidents for a meeting with Mali's new military leaders were forced to turn back mid-flight on Thursday after hundreds of supporters of last week's coup invaded Bamako's main runway. An official from regional bloc ECOWAS said the meeting, aimed at pressuring coup leaders to swiftly restore constitutional rule after they ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure, could be rescheduled for Friday if security allowed. REUTERS/Luc Gnago (MALI - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)
Amadou SanogoImage: Reuters

Captain Amadou Sanogo, the junior officer and leader of last week's military coup in Mali, asked on Friday for international assistance against Tuareg rebels in the north of the country. Tuareg forces seized control of the northern town of Kidal shortly before Sanogo's appeal.

"The rebels continue to attack our country and terrorize our people. The situation is now critical, our army needs support from Mali's friends to save the civilian population and protect Mali's territorial integrity," Sanogo told journalists in the capital Bamako.

Mali's coup leaders, however, seem more likely to face economic sanctions than to receive military support, judging by a statement issued by fellow members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday night.

At an emergency meeting in the Ivory Coast, ECOWAS members said that Mali would face "diplomatic, economic and financial sanction," unless it reverted to civilian rule by Monday, April 2. Those sanctions would include sealing Mali's borders and cutting off the country's access to the regional central bank.

Malians who back the military coup d'etat, demonstrate in the capital Bamako, March 28, 2012.
Amid fears of a divided Mali, the coup leaders have found public supportImage: Reuters

A rebellion-inspired coup

Sanogo said on Friday that he understood the position of the West African regional body, but said the military seized control with the intention of "holding a rapid process of normalization and organizing free and transparent elections." He would not, however, commit to a timetable.

The tough stance taken by ECOWAS followed a failed attempt to visit Bamako to talk with Sanogo and the military. Coup leaders allowed their supporters onto the runway, causing the plane carrying five ECOWAS delegates to abort its landing.

Mali's military junta say that they ousted the democratically elected president, Amadou Toumani Toure, last week because he was not doing enough to combat the Tuareg rebellion to the north led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. The rebels have made substantial gains using advanced weaponry left over from the conflict in Libya as they seek independence for more than half of Mali, a region they refer to as Azawad.

The coup leaders on Wednesday issued a new, 69-article constitution in a bid to allay fears about plans for a military takeover. One key article in the constitution forbids military officers from running for public office.

msh/acb (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)