African Union Likely To Suspend Egypt After Army Overthrows President

The African Union is likely to suspend Egypt from all its activities after the Egyptian military suspended the constitution and overthrew the elected president, Mohamed Morsi, a senior AU source said on Thursday.

The source, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that members of the AU’s peace and security council would meet on Friday and were likely to implement the AU’s usual response to any interruption of constitutional rule by a member state.

“The belief is that the doctrine will be applied, which is suspension for any country where an unconstitutional change has taken place,” he said.

In the March, the AU also suspended the Central African Republic after rebels overthrew the government there.

Ramtane Lamamra, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Council, told Reuters in the Ethiopian capital where the AU is based that the council would discuss Egypt’s situation at the Friday meeting.

“We intend to dispatch a mission and urge the Egyptian authorities to establish dialogue,” Lamamra said.