Ecowas suspends Mali

d’Ivoire, whose President Alassane Ouattara chairs Ecowas.
The sanction followed the suspension announced by the African Union on Friday, which reiterated zero tolerance for any unconstitutional change of government and its total rejection of any seizure of power by force.
Blaise Compaore, president of Burkina Faso, has been tasked by Ecowas with leading a mediation team of six heads of state to Bamako which is expected to arrive today.
As a former soldier who himself ousted a president, Compaore is likely to understand the frustration by the soldiers who revolted, tired of fighting a losing battle against the Tuareg desert nomads, analysts say.
West African leaders warned that the region’s troops were on standby if the junta failed to engage in dialogue.
Meanwhile, thousands marched yesterday in support of the coup leaders, who sought to quell fears they plan to cling to power by promising democracy and ruling out taking part in elections.
Ousted president Amadou Toumani Toure’s situation has been unclear since he was forced to flee when the mutineering soldiers shot their way to his palace, but France said its ambassador Christian Rouyer had made contact with him by phone. — Xinhua/AFP.