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Mali junta leaders step down
Coup leaders in Mali agree to stand down and allow a transition to civilian rule, as part of a deal struck with regional bloc ECOWAS.
Coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo seized power in March
The leaders of Mali's coup and neighbouring countries have reached a deal under which the two-week-old military junta will hand over power in return for the end of trade and diplomatic sanctions.
Mali's military junta and the West African bloc ECOWAS announced the deal on Malian state television late on Friday.
Under the plan, signed by mediators and junta leader Captain Amadou Sanogo, the military government will hand over power to parliament speaker Diouncounda Traore who will be sworn in as interim president with a mission to organise elections.
The deal also includes the lifting of sanctions clamped by ECOWAS on Mali and an amnesty for those involved in the coup.
The embargo included the closing of all borders of ECOWAS states with Mali except for humanitarian reasons, closing to Mali access to ECOWAS ports, and the freezing of Malian bank accounts.
The move came after Tuareg rebels in the north declared independence of territory they call Azawad.
The rebels seized the area after a coup two weeks ago plunged the West African nation into political crisis.
International bodies rejected a call from Tuareg rebels for their newly named region of Azawad to be recognised as independent.
The secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) is one of two main groups fighting a rebellion in the north.
Ansar Dine, an Islamist group, has also made gains and has started to impose Sharia law in some towns.
Rights group Amnesty International has warned of a major humanitarian disaster in the wake of the rebellion.
Ecowas is preparing a force of up to 3,000 soldiers which could be deployed to stop the rebel advance.
France's Defence Minister, Gerard Longuet, said France could provide assistance to the force, including transport, Reuters news agency reports.
The Tuareg people inhabit the Sahara Desert in northern Mali, as well as several neighbouring countries and have fought several rebellions over the years.
They complain that they have been ignored by the authorities in the capital, Bamako.
