US weighs $137 million in aid to Mali after coup

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Thursday weighed the future of military aid to Mali after soldiers in the African country ousted their president and declared a coup.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said no decision had been made, but officials were talking about whether to suspend the $137 million in annual U.S. counterterrorism and other assistance to Mali.

Meanwhile, U.S. antipoverty aid was immediately affected as the Millennium Challenge Corp. said it would halt its development operations in the country.

The agency works only with countries "that that demonstrate a clear commitment to good governance, economic freedom and investing in their citizens," said chief executive Daniel W. Yohannes.

Army mutineers said they overthrew the government because of its mishandling of an ethnic insurgency in northern Mali.

Nuland would not call it a coup. She expressed hope the "military action" could be quickly reversed so that Mali could return to democratic governance.

The U.S. has long cited Mali as an African example of a thriving democracy, and the White House also condemned the violence in the country and voiced support for its president, Amadou Toumani Toure.