EU imposes sanctions on Mali's PM, coup leaders

FILE PHOTO: Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of two military coups and new interim president, walks during his inauguration ceremony in Bamako, Mali June 7, 2021. REUTERS/Amadou Keita/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union imposed sanctions on Mali's transitional prime minister and members of interim president Assimi Goita's inner circle, after the military ditched a plan for elections in February, the bloc's official journal said.

The travel bans and asset freezes hit five individuals. They include top military commanders who ousted former Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, the first of two coups. A second coup followed in May 2021.