Mali President announces resignation on state television

Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation with immediate effect in the early hours of Wednesday morning, a day after rebel soldiers launched a coup. In an address on state television, the 75-year-old also said that both the government and Mali's national assembly would be dissolved. The announcement comes after rebel soldiers surrounded the private city residence of Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Tuesday, following the apparent arrest of several military officials.

The unrest by soldiers comes after weeks of demonstrations calling for the President's resignation, prompting political chaos in the West African country which has been undergoing stabilizing efforts since a coup in 2012. A West African regional official confirmed that Mali's president and prime minister had been detained by mutinous soldiers Tuesday evening.