The African Union on Wednesday suspended Mali's membership following a military takeover of the country which resulted in the sudden resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his government.

"#AUPSC suspends #Mali from @_AfricanUnion until restoration of constitutional order and demands release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the Prime Minister & other government officials forcibly detained by the army," the AU's Peace and Security Department tweeted.

The suspension comes shortly after the African Union Chairman President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the unconstitutional change of government in Mali and called for an immediate return to civilian rule and for the military to return to their barracks. 

Keita resigned and dissolved parliament late on Tuesday just hours after mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint, plunging a country already facing a jihadist insurgency and mass protests deeper into crisis.

International and regional powers fear political instability in Mali could undermine their military campaigns against Islamist militants in West Africa's Sahel region.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold a meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the security situation in the West African nation.

Source: African Union Peace and Security Department