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parliament in front of the building.
After the ban, dozens of lawmakers held an “extraordinary session” at the labour exchange, the headquarters of the main trade union.
“During this extraordinary session we denounced the refusal of the soldiers to let us access the national assembly,” lawmaker Mohamed Coulibaly told AFP.
“We launch an urgent appeal to regional and international institutions to assist with a rapid return to constitutional order.”
The lawmakers also condemned the assault of one of their colleagues on Monday during a rally against the junta attended by about 1 000 Malians.
Meanwhile, an emergency summit of West Africa’s regional bloc must take swift action to defend democracy following the coup in Mali, the body’s chairman said at the opening of the meeting yesterday.
Representatives from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) attended the summit in Abidjan called by the grouping’s current chairman, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, five days after renegade soldiers overthrew Mali’s government
Two representatives from the military junta that seized power last week were in Abidjan, following a request from Ouattara, an Ivorian presidency source said, adding that the putschists were to meet the heads of state.
In his opening remarks, the Ivorian leader said the stakes of the summit were high.
“We must make important decisions at this summit that relate to the future of democracy,” Ouattara said.
“We must equally put in place strategies to fight against the plagues and threats that weaken our region,” the ECOWAS chief added, calling for a series of “actions to be undertaken as soon as possible.”
“Our position must equally send a strong signal to all of Africa,” he continued and condemned the coup in Mali that was “perpetrated against a democratically elected regime.”
Ouattara assumed the Ivorian presidency last year after both international and regional bodies, including ECOWAS, intervened on his behalf.
The president of the ECOWAS commission, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso, described the security situation in Mali as “extremely serious and complex.”
“The security situation in the country, provoked by the rebellion and the coup, dangerously threatens not just the peace and security in Mali, but also peace, stability and development in all ECOWAS members,” he said.
The heads of state of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone and Togo travelled to Cote d’lvoire for the summit.
Senegal, which just concluded a second round presidential poll where opposition leader Macky Sall defeated the incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade, was represented by its prime minister.
In Bamako, the military rulers were trying to restore order but faced continued pressure from Tuareg rebels taking advantage of the disarray caused by the coup to make military gains. — AFP.
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