Mali's coup leader won't back down

2012-04-04 08:57

Bamako - One day after an embargo was placed on Mali, the soldier who led a recent coup there says he agrees the nation's constitutional order should be restored, but he wants to first address Mali's ills.

The nations surrounding Mali imposed severe financial sanctions on Monday, including the closing of its borders, after their 72-hour ultimatum to Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo expired.

The bloc representing the 15 nations in West Africa had called on Sanogo to hand power back to civilians immediately.

In his first comments since the sanctions were imposed, Sanogo called on Mali's neighbours to re-examine the issue and invited all Mali representatives to join him in a national convention starting Thursday.

- AP