The U.S. government said on Friday that about half of America's aid to Mali will be at risk if the democratic order is not restored following a coup staged by mutinous soldiers in the West African country.

In a regular briefing, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that Washington is reviewing its aid to Mali, which is worth around 137 million to 140 million U.S. dollars a year.

"A little more than half of that is humanitarian aid of food et cetera so that would not be affected," she said. "But if the situation is not resolved democratically, the remaining portion of that aid could very seriously be affected."

Malian rebel soldiers stated on Thursday that they had removed President Amadou Toumani Toure from power. They said that an inclusive government of national unity would be formed to organize fresh polls as soon as possible.

So far, at least 12 people have been killed in the confrontation between the mutinous soldiers and the presidential guards.

However, despite the warning, the United States, unlike the European commission and the World Bank, has not made the decision to cut its aid to Mali, as the two countries have important cooperation on fight against militant groups, including al-Qaida elements.

On Thursday, Nuland had condemned the "military seizure of power" in Mali, saying that Washington is supporting and working with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union (AU) to "reverse " the situation there in order to restore the democratic order.

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