West Africa envoys meet with junta after coup in Mali

Top West African officials met in Mali on Saturday with the military leaders that deposed the country's president, seeking to negotiate a return to civilian rule after the coup this week.

The high-level delegation, led by Nigeria's former president, Goodluck Jonathan, met with Col. Assimi Goita, who has declared himself the junta's leader.

Thousands of Malians took the streets of capital Bamako after the military ousted President Ibrahim Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, prompting a negative response from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.

ECOWAS demanded the reinstatement of Keita and said its mobilizing a military force.

The international community has expressed alarm about the coup d'etat, which deposed Mali's democratically elected leader who still had three years left in his term.

Mali has been fighting against Islamic extremists with heavy international support for more than seven years, and jihadists have previously used power vacuums in Mali to expand their territory.

Later on Saturday the ECOWAS officials were expected to meet ousted Boubacar Keita and other detained members of his administration.