Defense

Mali coup drags on

The U.S. military is watching Mali very carefully. Five African presidents seeking to restore Mali\'s elected government are now meeting in Ivory Coast, after t...

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

March 30, 2012 11:48 am

< a min read

The U.S. military is watching Mali very carefully. Five African presidents seeking to restore Mali’s elected government are now meeting in Ivory Coast, after the planes carrying the heads of state to Bamako were forced to turn around because demonstrators supporting the military junta took over the tarmac, officials said. The presidents of Ivory Coast, Benin, Liberia, Niger and Burkina Faso were due to arrive in Mali on Thursday to press for the departure of the junior officers that grabbed power in a coup last week, reversing over two decades of democratic rule.