Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced that he is resigning from his post saying that he does not wish blood to be shed following a military mutiny that plunged the country into a political crisis, Aljazeera reported.
"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," Keita said in a brief statement broadcast on national television.
Keita said that he has decided "to give up my duty from now on."
It is unclear if the military is now officially in charge of the country.
Earlier, Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse were detained by soldiers in a dramatic escalation of a months-long crisis in the country.
The development came hours after soldiers took up arms and staged a mutiny at a key base in Kati, a town close to Bamako.
ZZ/PR
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