Russia and China block UN support for sanctions on Mali

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China have blocked the U.N. Security Council from supporting new sanctions on Mali for its military leaders’ decision to delay next month’s elections until 2026. The military’s action was a blow to the restoration of democracy in the troubled West African nation. Kenya’s U.N. Ambassador Martin Kimani said after closed-door discussions on the proposed French-drafted statement endorsing the sanctions imposed by the West African regional group ECOWAS he was “disappointed” that the council couldn’t agree on a “relatively mild” press statement. He said this spurred Kenya, Ghana and Gabon to speak out to support the actions by ECOWAS.