The suspension given to Mali by the African Union (AU) after the military c
oup in March has been lifted.
The AU also endorsed a plan calling for fresh elections and the return of law and order, according to the spokesman, El Ghassim Wane.
AU officials have also been discussing the logistics of an intervention force to help Malian authorities recover areas seized by Islamists in the north.
The territory was overrun by militants in the chaos following the March coup.
The AU’s Peace and Security Council had decided “to lift the suspension of Mali from the activities of the AU. Mali is therefore invited to participate in full,” Ramtane Lamamra, AU Peace and Security Commissioner, told the Reuters news agency.
The AU is also finalising planning for a deployment of an African-led international force in Mali, according to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairwoman of the AU Commission.
However, the AU would leave the “door open” for those rebel groups that wished to negotiate, she added.