Malian President Ibrahim Abu Bakr Keita announced his resignation from power and the dissolution of Parliament and the government, hours after he was detained with his prime minister by military personnel who pledged to hold elections within a "reasonable time." International reactions condemning the coup have continued.
State television broadcast a recorded speech of the detained president in a camp near the capital, Bamako, in which he announced his resignation from all his posts and the dissolution of the government and parliament.
In his speech, 75-year-old Keita said, "I would like, at this very moment, and as I thank the financial people for their support for me over these long years and the warmth of their affection, to inform you of my decision to quit my duties, of all my duties, starting from this moment." He also decided to "dissolve the National Assembly and the government."
For their part, the president's detainees delivered a speech in which they announced the closure of the borders and the imposition of a curfew, and they called on political and civil forces to join them to get the country out of its crisis, and international organizations to help them save the country.
The military announced the formation of a "national committee to save the people", stressing that they want to carry out a "civil political transition" that is supposed to "lead to general elections" within a "reasonable period."
Military spokesman Colonel Ismail Waghi, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Air Force, said, "We, our national forces gathered within the National Committee for the Rescue of the People, have decided to assume our responsibilities before the people and before history." He also stressed that all international agreements concluded by Mali will be respected.
The opposition describes the current developments as a popular uprising and not a military coup. This development constitutes the culmination of a disagreement between it and the president that began about two years ago.
The arrest of the president came shortly after the failure of a call by Prime Minister Bobo Cisse to the military, asking them to lay down their arms and engage in a dialogue with the government to search for solutions.
Mali has been witnessing successive waves of demonstrations led by the "5 June" opposition movement and a number of independents, since the announcement of the results of the legislative elections that took place last March and which were won by President Keita's party and rejected by the opposition.
The opponents of Keita - who took over the presidency seven years ago - express their dissatisfaction with the positions of his regime on many issues, foremost of which are the deteriorating security situation and the inability of his government to stop violence in the country, in addition to the economic collapse, failure of state services and widespread corruption.
In international reactions to the accelerating events in Mali, the Economic and Monetary Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) announced the closure of the borders with Mali and the freezing of its membership, and requested the equipping of the military forces of the group's countries as part of its plan to deal with the crisis.
The ECOWAS countries - which includes Mali, 14 other countries - said in a statement that they renewed their firm opposition to any unconstitutional political change, and called on the army to adhere to the principles of the republic.
In Chad, the government spokesman said that his country is calling on the soldiers to release the president and members of his government, and to return to their barracks, stressing that Chad supports the Economic and Monetary Community of West Africa in its endeavor to resolve the crisis.
For his part, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called for the immediate and unconditional release of the Malian president.
France and Niger requested the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the crisis in a closed session, and the European Union condemned what it called the ongoing coup attempt in Mali.
The United States expressed concern about the situation in Mali. Its special envoy for the Sahel region said his country opposes all unconstitutional changes of government.