The U.N. Security Council Monday strongly condemned the “forcible seizure of power” from Mali's democratically elected government. In a statement agreed upon by all 15 nations, the council called on “mutinous troops” to cease all violence and return to their barracks. The Security Council demanded that constitutional order be restored and elections be held in late April as previously planned. The African Union has suspended Mali's membership, and the United States and European Union continue to recognize President Amadou Toumani Toure as the country's leader.
