The African Union has suspended Guinea following a military coup in the west African nation.
The AU suspended Guinea Monday and banned it from AU activities "until the return of constitutional order."
Guinea's exclusion from the AU was decided during a meeting of the body's Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, where the organization is based.
The coup followed the December 22 death of Guinea's longtime dictator Lansana Conte.
A group of military leaders seized power just hours after Mr. Conte's death was announced. The group's leader, Captain Moussa Camara, has declared himself president and has promised elections by the end of 2010.
He says he planned the coup because the previous government failed Guinea's people by destroying the economy. He has vowed to fight injustice and corruption.
Guinea is the world's biggest exporter of bauxite, used to produce aluminum. But its people are among the poorest in the world.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
