The U.N. Security Council has condemned the military coup in Mali and called for the restoration of civilian rule. Renegade soldiers ousted Mali President Amadou Toumani Touré, citing his handling of a rebellion by a militia in the northern part of the country. The soldiers say they have suspended the constitution and imposed a military curfew. Touré is reportedly being held in military barracks. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for political affairs, Lynn Pascoe, called for Touré’s immediate release.

Lynn Pascoe: “There’s nothing particularly good that can come out of overturning an elected president about a month or six weeks before a new election is supposed to take place and putting the two main candidates in jail—or, not in jail, necessarily, but in a military barracks and holding them. So that this clearly is not the direction that we want to see West Africa or any other country to go in. We believe that strengthening democracy is absolutely critical, and we hope that—I think there’s strong consensus on that issue.”