Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his immediate resignation on state television late Tuesday, hours after he and the Prime Minister were reportedly arrested by mutinous soldiers in a suspected coup.
Wearing a blue surgical mask amid the coronavirus pandemic, the President said on national broadcaster ORTM that he had little choice but to stand down to avoid bloodshed, and the country’s national assembly and government would now be dissolved.
“For seven years I have with great joy and happiness tried to put this country back on its feet,” Keita said, adding ” I don’t want any blood to be shed.”
On Wednesday morning, the military leaders behind the suspected coup addressed the nation promising a political transition, elections within a “reasonable time,” and a national curfew.
Colonel Major Ismael Wague, a spokesperson for coup leaders, announced that as of Wednesday, all air and land borders would be closed “until further notice” and national curfew would be imposed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time.
“Civil society and socio-political movements are invited to join us in order, together, to create the best conditions for a civil political transition leading to credible regional elections for the democratic exercise, through a roadmap that will lay the foundations for a new Mali,” said Wague.
The military leader listed multiple grievances with Keita’s leadership, including allegations of corruption and the failure to deal with the long-running extremist insurgency.
Wague said that they are “not keen on power, but are keen on the stability of the country which will allow us to organize general elections within a reasonable timeframe to allow Mali to equip itself with strong institutions capable of managing as well as possible.
Troops arrested the President and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse in a suspected coup earlier on Tuesday, according to the chairman of the African Union Commission.
It followed reports of an attempted mutiny that morning at a military camp 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) outside of the capital Bamako, confirmed to CNN by a diplomatic source who had been briefed by local officials.
Earlier in the day, Cisse had posted a plea to troops on Facebook, asking the military to put down its arms and engage in dialogue.
“The government calls for reason and a patriotic sense and asks for the use of arms to be stopped. There are no problems that cannot be solved in dialogue,” the Prime Minister wrote, in a statement that appears to have been posted before his reported detention.
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The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on Wednesday, two UN diplomat sources told CNN.
The UN talks were requested by France and Niger, according to the diplomatic sources. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak on the subject.
Crowds took to the streets in Bamako throughout the day on Tuesday, surrounding the capital city’s independence monument. In footage of the city, protesters on motorbikes could be seen cheering at news of the suspected coup, while some opposition supporters celebrated with Malian flags and vuvuzelas.
Mali previously faced a major rebellion in 2012, after a coup staged by mid-ranking army officers opened an opportunity for Jihadi groups and rebels from the country’s long marginalized Tuareg ethnic minority to take over a significant part of the country.
Mali shares borders with Algeria, Niger and Mauritania, and all four countries have struggled with the growing presence of Islamist groups in the region.
