Ultimatum hangs over Mali coup leaders

[iolsa]

Addis Ababa - The clock was ticking for new sanctions to be implemented against Mali Friday, a day after the country's neighbours warned that soldiers behind a recent coup had 72 hours to restore power to a civilian government.

Failure to revert to civilian rule by Monday would invoke "diplomatic, economic and financial sanction," according to the ultimatum from the Economic Community of West African States, issued late on Thursday, according to media reports.

The grouping, which this week suspended Mali's membership because of the coup, said neighbouring states would close their shared borders, sealing off the landlocked country. A regional military force has been on standby for more than two days.

Also, Bamako's banks would no longer have normal ties with the regional central bank, and key accounts would be frozen, according to ECOWAS' threat.

Eight countries in West Africa, including Mali, use the CFA franc, issued by a regional bank in Dakar. Suspension from the banking system could suffocate the country.

Already, most Western donors have cut ties with Mali, barring basic humanitarian aid projects.

The tough stance from ECOWAS, which met in Ivory Coast, came after the grouping's high-level delegation was unable to land in Mali on Thursday, after pro-coup protesters gathered at the airport  and prevented their plane from touching down.

Captain Amadou Sanogo, the head of the coup, sounded defiant after the plane turned around, saying he was happy the protesters were backing his administration. He did, however, issue some appeals to the crowd to let in the guests, to no avail.

Analysts say the protesters could not have reached the runway without military approval.

Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure was ejected from power last week after a group of soldiers initiated the coup, arguing that Toure's government had been ineffective in tamping down a Tuareg rebellion in the north.

Toure had been due to step down next month, as his term was coming to a close and elections were already scheduled.

Speaking to French radio from his place of hiding in Mali, Toure urged citizens to fight for the restoration of democracy.

It was unclear how much support Toure still had among Malians, some of whom are putting their faith in the coup leaders' promises to fight poverty and introduce a better government. However, those promises are short on details.

The coup leaders failed to prevent widespread looting last week in Bamako. Human rights groups say the soldiers are holding political prisoners without access to lawyers.

The Tuareg rebellion, helped by an influx of arms and fighters from Libya, is meanwhile threatening the stability of the country from the north. The rebels have been making steady advances over the past week, trying to seize control over key cities.

Prior to the soldiers' takeover, Mali was touted as a beacon of democracy in coup-prone West Africa.

ECOWAS says that, owing to previous crises in the region - including the civil war in Ivory Coast that ended last year - the grouping has the experience to handle Mali. - Sapa-dpa



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