Zim foreign affairs minister evacuated from Mali

Nairobi - Zimbabwean foreign affairs minister Mumbengegwi and his Kenyan counterpart Moses Wetangula have been evacuated from Mali where they were stranded by the west African country's military coup, Kenya's foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The ministers and other government officials were flown to Lagos on a chartered flight late on Saturday after the coup leader said he would guarantee their safe return.

"The government successfully managed to charter a flight to evacuate the minister after securing clearance from the Mali military authority in charge," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and his Kenyan counterpart Moses Wetangula and his had attended an African Union peace and security meeting in Bamako when the soldiers seized power on Thursday and ordered the borders closed.

The 54-member AU condemned the coup and suspended Mali until it restores constitutional order.