AU chief urges Mali rivals to 'work together'

The chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has urged President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and opposition groups to work together to end the political crisis in the West African country.

Opposition groups are calling for President Keïta to resign because of escalating jihadist and inter-communal violence in the country.

The president had pledged to form a new government with opposition members.

The African Union chief, in a statement, praised the "peaceful character" of the protests and encouraged both government and opposition to "avoid the use of violence in any form".