The AU on Friday announced the suspension of Egypt from the activities of the Union indefinitely for unconstitutional change of government by the military authorities, the News Agency of Agency (NAN) reports.
The suspension was announced by the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) in a communique after its emergency meeting on Friday in Addis Ababa.
It would be recalled that Egypt’s military toppled the country’s first democratically elected president on Wednesday night and reportedly put him under house arrest while rounding up some of his top supporters following a mass protest against the President by Egyptians.
Morsi was elected president of Egypt on June 17, 2012.
Chairperson of AU Commission, Dr Dlamini Zuma told newsmen after a communique was read by the PSC secretary, Dr Adamore Kambudzi that the suspension was in accordance with the provisions of the AU charter and resolutions.
Zuma said the AU would encourage dialogue and expected nothing less than an immediate road map for the return to the path of democracy and the rule of law.
According to the communique, Article 23 of AU charter on Democracy and good governance states that:
“State Parties agree that, the use of inter alia the following illegal means of accessing or maintaining power constitutes an unconstitutional change of government and shall draw appropriate sanctions by the Union.
“Any putsch or coup d’état against a democratically elected government, any intervention by mercenaries to replace a democratically elected government, any replacement of a democratically elected government by armed dissidents or rebels s unconstitutional.”
Egypt’s Chief Justice Adli Mansour was sworn in as Interim president after the military take over.
Hundreds of thousands of people believed to Morsi’s supporters took to the streets across Egypt over the military’s actions saying its “a coup and condemned its celebration as a “correction’’ by his opponents.
Reports say at least eight people were killed and more than 350 others wounded in the protests between the supporters of the opposition and the military.
Egypt’s top military officer, Gen. Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi, said in a televised broadcast to the nation that Morsi “did not achieve the goals of the people’’ and failed to meet the demands for power sharing with the opposition.
NAN reports that three countries have so far been banned because of unconstitutional change of power in these include Madagascar, banned following the overthrow in March 2009 of President Marc Ravalomanana.
The AU suspended Guinea Bissau because of the 2012 coup d’état in that country and Central Africa Republic (CAR) for an armed insurgency in 2013.
