World News : Mali coup leader condemns president beating

BAMAKO (World News) - The leader of Mali's March 22 coup condemned the beating up of the interim president by pro-putchist demonstrators and called on Tuesday for a peaceful transition of power in the West African country.

Caretaker President Dioncounda Traore suffered minor head injuries when protesters stormed his palace, the latest setback for efforts to stabilize Mali after the coup and deal with a subsequent revolt by northern separatists and Islamists.

Protesters occupied the presidential palace for several hours during a street demonstration in the capital Bamako called by local politicians who want the putschists to return to power and who accuse Traore of being a member of a self-serving political elite responsible for decades of misrule.

But coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo, who at the weekend agreed with the ECOWAS West African regional bloc to allow Traore to preside over a one-year transition to full civilian rule, distanced himself and his CNRDRE grouping from the pro-coup movement.

"The CNRDRE firmly condemns these acts of violence ... The CNRDRE calls on the Malian people to contain themselves and respect all efforts taken towards an end of the crisis and a peaceful transition," he said in a written statement.

Sanogo wished a "speedy recovery" to Traore, who was taken to a secure location late on Monday after hospital treatment.

As part of the accord extending Traore's mandate, Sanogo won status and privileges normally accorded former heads of state, including a pension for life and other perks.

The fact that unarmed protesters, mostly dressed in jeans and t-shirts, were able to occupy the palace compound despite the presence of security forces raised questions over whether they had tacit support from sections of the military.

"ECOWAS will make the necessary inquiries to establish who ordered and carried out this reprehensible attack and apply the appropriate sanctions," the 15-state body said in a statement.

Past ECOWAS statements have explicitly warned Sanogo and other coup leaders they would face foreign asset freezes and travel bans if they tried to block the transition process.

Demonstrators on Monday chanted slogans hostile to the 15-state West African regional bloc.

PROTEST SIGNALLED

Observers said the thousands-strong street protest in Bamako which preceded the palace invasion had been signaled for days by local politicians such as youth leader Oumar Mariko, who hailed the coup as ushering in an Arab Spring-style revolution.

The FDR coalition of anti-coup parties said the attack on the president had been orchestrated.

"This unspeakable violence is the result of a weeks-long campaign of hate and inci tement to crime carried out on certain private radio stations by political and civil society players," it said.

Traore's party ADEMA, which holds a majority of seats in Mali national assembly, demanded that Traore's security be guaranteed, adding his departure would damage the transition.

"A delegation of the party will meet him (Traore) today to tell him we think he should stay because if he resigns, it will be catastrophic for the country," a senior party official said after a meeting in Bamako.

A World News reporter said the streets of the capital Bamako were calm on Tuesday following heavy downpours, while some banks were shut.

However it was not clear when Traore, a former parliament speaker who has held various cabinet positions, would return to the palace, around which security forces were posted.

The ECOWAS statement reaffirmed the determination of its members to support the transition to civilian rule but did not repeat previous commitments to prepare the deployment of troops to help stabilize the country and, ultimately, to help authorities win back Mali's northern territory.