African Union suspends Egypt

The decision of the 54-member bloc came while demonstrations in support of ousted president Mohammed Morsi were going on in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

African Union (AU) has suspended Egypt from all activities following the overthrow of the government, a senior official has said.

The decision of the 54-member bloc came while demonstrations in support of ousted president Mohammed Morsi were going on in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

AU Commission head Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that the removal of Morsi on Wednesday falls under the AU doctrine on unconstitutional changes of government.

The decision was taken after deliberations by the AU’s peace and security council earlier Friday. The AU usually suspends the membership of countries where the military ousts an elected government. The AU earlier this year suspended the membership of Central African Republic after a coup there.

Morsi was removed from the office by the army on Wednesday after mass protests against his government.