Mali coup: US imposes travel ban on coup leaders

The United States said Tuesday it was imposing a travel ban on leaders of Mali's coup and their family members as part of international efforts to restore democratic rule in the country.

Captain Amadou Sanogo was targeted by US sanctions 

The US followed similar measures by African nations amid growing international alarm about Mali, where Islamist-allied rebels have taken advantage of the political chaos to make major advances.

The State Department said it would restrict travel to the US of those "who block Mali's return to civilian rule and a democratically elected government, including those who actively support Captain Amadou Sanogo," the coup leader.

"The United States reiterates its call on Captain Sanogo and his supporters to restore full civilian rule to Mali without delay," a State Department statement said.

The travel ban will also apply to immediate family members of the coup leaders, it said.

The African Union earlier Tuesday imposed travel bans and ordered a freezing of assets after Sanogo refused to step down.

The Economic Community of West African States on Monday also hit the junta with harsh penalties, including closing Mali's borders to trade.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland earlier Tuesday said that the United States was "deeply concerned" about Mali and urged the rebels to lay down their arms.

"The United States urgently calls on all armed rebels in the north of Mali to cease military operations that compromise the Republic of Mali's territorial integrity," Ms Nuland said.

She said that while the rebels had "legitimate political grievances," they should wait until the return of a civilian government and seek to settle differences through dialogue instead of violence.

"As civilian leadership is restored in Mali, we also urge all armed rebels to engage in dialogue with the civilian leaders in Bamako to find a non-violent path forward for national elections and peaceful coexistence," Nuland said.

Disgruntled troops swarmed the capital Bamako on March 22 and chased out of power President Amadou Toumani Toure, accusing him of failing to offer sufficient supplies to the army to put down the long-running Tuareg rebellion.

Tuareg rebels have raced across the country's north. Radical Islamists over the weekend seized control of the fabled trading hub of Timbuktu and said they were imposing sharia law.