Mali President Resigns hours after Mutinous Soldiers’ Successful Coup

Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation on state television hours after armed and mutinous soldiers fired shots into the air outside his home and detained on accounts of alleged corruption acts.

The historic dramatic development comes after a close to two months of regular demonstrations calling for him to step down three years away from the end of his final term.

Speaking on national broadcaster ORTM, the besieged Head of State said his resignation was effective immediately. The angry military had plunged the country into a political crisis and this enticed the distressed Mr. Keita to say that he wants no blood to be spilled to keep him in power.

“If today, certain elements of our armed forces want this to end through their intervention, do I really have a choice?” he said from a military base in Kati outside the West African country’s capital city of Bamako where he had been put under military lock earlier in the day together with Mali’s Prime Minister Boubou Cisse.

“We can tell you that the president and the prime minister are under our control.” One of the soldier’s leaders bravely said.

Mr. Keita immediately dissolved his government and the Mali’s National Assembly as he conditionally joined his other counterpart; Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir who few months ago was also dethroned in a military coup.

ECOWAS, the regional body that had been in the forefront in mediation, condemned that act but it was what it was. ‘France condemns in the strongest terms this grave event,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

The US government was not left out in condemning the military coup that has since changed the government. The Economic Community of West African States also condemned “the overthrow by revolt soldiers of the democratically and constitutionally elected government”.

Mr Keita, who was democratically elected and re-elected, was left with no choice after weapons were seized from the armory by the daring mutinous soldiers in garrison town of Kati.

 A banner across the bottom of the television  screen amazingly referred to him as the “exiting president”.

The putschits soldiers are expected to give a national address on the next plan of action.