African Union Suspends Egypt over Coup

                             

The African Union Friday suspended Egypt from all its activities after the Egyptian military overthrew elected President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday.

Also Friday, supporters and opponents of ousted President Morsi clashed hours after three pro-Morsi protesters were killed by army fire in Cairo.

The Secretary of the AU Peace and Security Council, Admore Kambudzi made the suspension announcement in Addis Ababa after an emergency  meeting of the council on the Egyptian crisis.

"The overthrow of the democratically elected president does not conform with the relevant provisions of the Egyptian constitution and is therefore false under the definition of an unconstitutional change of government. The council decided to suspend the participation of Egypt in AU activities until the restoration of constitutional order." Kambudzi said.

However, the Chairperson of the Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma expressed readiness to assist the troubled country to find a solution to the ongoing crises.

Zuma expressed concern at the prevailing tension in the country "with the accompanying risks to security, stability and the consolidation of the democratic process."

According to a news release on the AU website, the Commission would soon dispatch eminent African personalities to consult and assist in the commencement of a responsible and constructive dialogue that would help the country overcome its current situation.

Earlier on Friday, the Ambassador of Egypt to the AU, Mr. Mohamed Edress had expressed the wishes of his country to retain its membership and "continue to take part in this family."

Suspension is AU's usual response to any interruption of constitutional rule by a member state. In March, it suspended the Central African Republic after rebels overthrew the government. In recent years, it has meted out similar treatment to Madagascar and Mali, although Mali's suspension has since been lifted.

Tunisia and Turkey were among Muslim countries to denounce Morsi's overthrow as a coup. The United States and European Union refrained from using that description but called for a swift return to democratic rule.

Following the swearing-in of Adli Mansour on Thursday as interim head of state, the next step in the Egyptian army's "road map" to democracy is the formation of an interim government in the next few days. One state newspaper said it should be ready on Sunday.

Meanwhile, for most of Friday, rival groups for and against Morsi hurled fireworks and stones at each other across Cairo's 6th October Bridge, near Tahrir Square.

The clashes came after a large crowd of Morsi supporters surged across the 6th October Bridge, over the Nile River, towards Tahrir Square where many of the former president supporters are gathered.

Earlier, the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme leader, Mohammed Badie, had told tens of thousands of Morsi supporters outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque that protests would continue until the deposed president was reinstated.

Morsi hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, and both have been accused of pursuing an Islamist agenda against the wishes of the majority and of failing to tackle economic problems.

The army removed Morsi from power on Wednesday after millions of people protested over his leadership.