Photo: Fraternité Matin

Army officers appeared on state television following the coup.

Paris — The Angolan Foreign minister, Georges Chicoti, said Friday in Paris that Angola condemns the coup d'Etat of Thursday in Mali.

"We are against this kind of power seizure by the force of arms, we think it necessary that they go through the constitution and negotiation path and find a solution that satisfies all parties," the Foreign minister told the Angolan press.

"We do not recognise the regimes that that come by the force of arms because this is not a solution," Georges Chicoti said.

According to the Angolan diplomat, this African Union's principle has been opposed by some countries, but this can not be a solution because any anti-constitutional via, mainly through the use of weapons, affects the interest of so many people and the fundamental rights."

"In this particular case, there has been the suspension of the Constitution, that is people are in a situation where there is no law that works, there is a State of exception in which the military can do whatever they want," he also stated.

Georges Chicoti is in France for a four-day official visit at the invitation of his local counterpart, Alain Juppé.

Malian soldiers took up power by force on Thursday, following hours of fighting with Government loyal forces.