Mali's chosen interim leader prepares for transition

Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure, who was toppled in a military coup 17 days ago, formally resigned Sunday in a move paving the way for the departure of the junta that ousted him.

Under the terms of a transition deal with the West African bloc ECOWAS, the junta's leaders said they would allow a return to democracy once Toure formally quit.

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore hailed the accord as a first step in restoring order in chaos-split Mali, whose northern half is now under the control of Islamists, Tuareg rebels and outlaws.

Comparore noted that "two issues warrant the attention of the international community."

"It's the return to constitutional order on one hand, and on the other, it is the preservation of Mali's territorial integrity."

"We have been able to make progress on the first, and we have in days to come to engage on the second," he added.

The deal also led to an immediate lifting of ECOWAS-imposed sanctions and an amnesty for coup participants.

Speaker of parliament Dioncounda Traore is also to become interim president with the task of organising elections, if possible within 40 days, according to the agreement.

At the same time, he would have to grapple the uprising in the northern half of the country.

Tuareg fighters there issued a declaration of independence Friday that was rejected not just by the international community but their former allies, the Islamist militia.

Though coup leaders justified their March 22 action by accusing Toure of incompetence in his handling the rebellion in northern Mali, the coup backfired and sparked the biggest crisis in the country's history.

Some observers have dubbed the action an "accidental coup" after rebels exploited the power vacuum and swept Mali's north.

Underscoring the volatile mess facing Traore, Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists on Sunday claimed responsibility for the brazen April 5 kidnapping of seven Algerian diplomats from the Algerian consulate Gao in northern Mali.

The Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, through a purported spokesman, told AFP the group would be "making its demands known".

Coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo and his band of low-ranking soldiers agreed Friday to the timetable for a return to constitutional rule.

Traore, who flew into Mali from Burkina Faso Saturday, said the country needs the army to recover all of its territory, though he did not elaborate on when this might be.

Mali's neighbours Mauritania, Algeria and Niger called for the immediate transfer of power to the interim government.

Morocco also said it would send 14 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Niger, already facing a food shortage as it struggles with drought to cope with an influx of Malian refugees.

According to the United Nations, more than 200,000 people have fled their homes in Mali since January, seeking refuge elsewhere in the nation or in neighbouring countries.

Amnesty International has warned of a major humanitarian disaster in the region.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged quick implementation of the transitional accord, and in his Easter Sunday address, Pope Benedict XVI called for peace and stability.

"The secretary-general urges the junta to ensure the safety and security of all Malian officials, to immediately and unconditionally release all detainees and to refrain from any actions that might undermine the effective implementation of the provisions of the framework agreement," a Ban spokesman said.

The three northern towns of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu were overrun by Tuareg rebels and Islamist armed fighters last week. Residents of some towns have reported systematic looting, rapes and the implementation of sharia Islamic law in places.

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