Mutinying soldiers in Mali have arrested embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse amid an ongoing political crisis in the country.
The events began on Tuesday morning with soldiers firing into the air at the base in Kati, a garrison town some 15km (9 miles) from Bamako, while witnesses said armoured tanks and military vehicles could be seen on its streets, according to media reports.
Several senior government ministers and army officers were also reportedly under arrest.
In the capital, energised by reports of the mutiny, hundreds of opposition supporters poured into the square around the Independence Monument, the site of mass anti-Keita protests since June.
“We have come out today to call for the total resignation of President Keita because we heard there were shot fired by the military and we came out to help our soldier to get rid of the president,” a protesters said.
“We are tired. The country is paralysed and we do not want this government,” added another.
Keita’s detention at his residence in southwestern Bamako followed hours of uncertainty. Cisse had earlier appealed for dialogue and urged mutineers to stand down, before reports emerged of his detention, too.
The two men are believed to have been transported to Kati.
Source: Aljazera news
