Students taking part in a Military Intelligence Professional Course in Mali (Courtesy of Creative Commons)

The small west African nation of Mali had been considered one of the strongest democracies in Africa, but as of Wednesday, the certainty of it sustaining through the Malian coup is worrying other countries. 

The United States has made known its condemnation of the coup, whose unrest began on Wednesday when Malian soldiers expressed dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the Tuareg rebellion.  The Tuareg rebels "have long called for the creation of an independent state and have risen up against the Malian government a number of times since the 1960s," according to the BBC.  After the Tuaregs pushed Malian soldiers out of several northern towns, the soldiers have struck back.

Tens of thousands of Malians have fled into neighboring countries, creating further complications for the country's democracy.

The United States called for "the immediate restoration of constitutional rule in Mali, including full civilian authority over the armed forces and respect for the country's democratic institutions and traditions," CNN reported.

• "Our focus and our hope and expectation is that this military action can be quickly reversed, and we can get back to the issue of democratic governance in Mali, which we can all support," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, adding there are discussions but no decisions on whether Washington will suspend any or all of the roughly $140 million in aid that it sends annually to Mali's government.

The coup's leader, Capt. Amadou Sanogo, said he would step down once they were able to secure the country from the Tuareg rebels in the north and that former leaders would be "transferred to the justice system," and that elections would be restored, according to the BBC:

• "We are not here to confiscate any power but we are here to have an army and security forces available to assume the national security," Capt Sanogo told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
• He said the army was not up to the job at the moment as there was "a lack of equipment, a lack of training and our comrades are dying all the time".
• "So once this has been fixed, I'll be able to say 'Ok, go for election' in a short period of time. I promise."
• After the election of a new president he said the mutineers would go back to their units and he would be "very happy to serve as a company commander or a battalion commander."

Despite the promises, the African Union has suspended Mali from its organization.

"[The] council decided Mali should be suspended from further participation in all its activities until effective restoration of constitutional order is achieved without delay," Paul Lolo, chairman of the African Union's Peace and Security Council, said to the BBC.

CNN reported that the whereabouts of Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure remained unknown. The military has only said that "he is safe."

• News of the coup garnered immediate worldwide condemnation. The west African nation of about 15 million people was considered one of the strongest democracies in Africa.
• Conflict in the region has forced the United Nations to appeal for $35.6 million to address the growing humanitarian crisis as throngs of Malians flee into neighboring countries.

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