JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 23 (UPI) -- All Malians are called on to work together to ensure constitutional order is returned, the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said.
Secretary-General of the OIC Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu condemned the assault this week on interim President Dioncounda Traore at his presidential palace. Traore was allegedly beaten unconscious by demonstrators who viewed him as a member of the political class uprooted by a military coup.
The OIC, in a statement, said Ihsanoglu "appealed to all Malians to unite and work with the transitional authorities to save their nation from further drift into uncertainty and to restore constitutional order in the country as soon as possible."
The attack on Traore came on the day his tenure was set to expire. He had recently struck a deal with coup leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo to stay in office another year.
Sanogo's supporters announced Wednesday they've ignored regional demands and named him as the new head of the interim government, CNN reports.
His supporters said they wanted him to return to power and called on Traore to resign as interim leader.
Members of the Economic Community of West African States this week had expressed concern that Sanogo was derailing efforts to usher in a new government in the country, calling on the junta leader to refrain from making public statements that imply he's still in control.
