Mali's top court declares coup leader Goita as interim president

FILE PHOTO: Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of Malian military junta, attends the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) consultative meeting in Accra, Ghana September 15, 2020. REUTERS/ Francis Kokoroko

BAMAKO (Reuters) -Mali's constitutional court on Friday declared Assimi Goita, the colonel who led a military coup this week while serving as vice president, to be the new interim president.

The ruling raises the stakes as West African leaders prepare to meet on Sunday to respond to the takeover, which has jeopardised a transition back to democracy and could undermine a regional fight against Islamist militants.