"Today, certain parts of the military have decided that intervention was necessary. Do I really have a choice? Because I do not wish blood to be shed," President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said in a statement on state televison announcing his resignation.
It is unclear at this time if the mutinied military have taken control on the government, and who exactly led the coup.
Tuesday's arrests of the government officials followed months of protests calling for Keita to step down.
The rebellion began after soldiers mutinied in the Kati army base, located outside the capitol city of Bamako, stealing weapons from the base’s armory and then detaining senior military officials, the Associated Press reported.
Anti-government protestors reportedly allowed the soldiers to move freely through the streets, cheered them on and set fire to Mali’s justice ministry in the capital.
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The United Nations, along with France who previously colonized Mali, have spent over seven years trying to stabilize the nation that saw a coup in 2012, which enabled an Islamic insurgency to take hold of the nation. The 2012 coup was led by soldiers from the same army base as today’s attacks.
Political chaos which consumed the country Tuesday, led to government officials fleeing their offices as armed rebels stormed government buildings and detained officials, including Finance Minister Abdoulaye Daffe.
Keita, who is supported by France and other Western nations, has reportedly attempted to meet the demands of protestors who started their demonstrations in June.
Today’s actions have been condemned by and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – a regional union of 15 West African nations that have mediated Mali’s political discord.