By Agencies

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The leader of Mali's coup has condemned the beating of the interim president by demonstrators and called for a peaceful transition of power in the West African country.

Caretaker President Dioncounda Traore suffered minor head injuries when protesters stormed his palace on Monday, in the latest setback for efforts to stabilise Mali after the coup and deal with a subsequent revolt by northern separatists.

"The CNRDRE firmly condemns these acts of violence," coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The CNRDRE calls on the Malian people to contain themselves and respect all efforts taken towards an end of the crisis and a peaceful transition."

Protesters, who accused Traore of being a member of a self-serving political elite responsible for decades of misrule, occupied the presidential palace for several hours during a street demonstration in the capital Bamako.

Sanogo agreed with the ECOWAS West African regional bloc last week to allow Traore to preside over a one-year transition to full civilian rule.

As part of the accord extending Traore's mandate, Sanogo won status and privileges normally accorded former heads of state, including a pension for life and other perks.

The fact that unarmed protesters, mostly dressed in jeans and t-shirts, were able to occupy the palace compound despite the presence of security forces raised questions over whether they had tacit support from sections of the military.

"ECOWAS will make the necessary inquiries to establish who ordered and carried out this reprehensible attack and apply the appropriate sanctions," the 15-state body said in a statement.

Past ECOWAS statements have explicitly warned Sanogo and other coup leaders they would face foreign asset freezes and travel bans if they tried to block the transition process.

Orchestrated attack

Several United Nations Security Council representatives touring a refugee camp for Ivorians near Zwedru in Liberia, including permanent member France and non-permanent members Guatemala and Togo, said the attack on Traore appeared to have been triggered by the military Junta.

"Everything is pointing in the direction of the junta," France's UN Ambassador Gerard Araud said.

"I don't know if it's Sanogo or not, but obviously the military decided to wreck the agreement that had just been signed."

Guatemala's representative, Gert Rosenthal, said: "Certainly things are moving in the direction of punitive actions. There is a strong feeling (on the Security Council), to put it bluntly, that this guy can't get away with it."

Observers said the thousands-strong street protest in Bamako which preceded the palace invasion had been signalled for days by local politicians such as youth leader Oumar Mariko, who hailed the coup as ushering in an Arab Spring-style revolution.

The FDR coalition of anti-coup parties said the attack on the president had been orchestrated.

"This unspeakable violence is the result of a weeks-long campaign of hate and incitement to crime carried out on certain private radio stations by political and civil society players." 

Traore's party ADEMA, which holds a majority of seats in Mali national assembly, demanded that Traore's security be guaranteed, adding his departure would damage the transition.

It was not clear when Traore, a former parliament speaker who has held various cabinet positions, would return to the palace, around which security forces were posted.