JUST IN: Mali President, Keïta Resigns After Military Coup

                                                                      President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has resigned his position as Mali President following a military coup in the West African country on Tuesday.

Gentechnews had earlier reported that Malian President and his Prime Minister, Boubou Cissé, were “arrested” late Tuesday afternoon in Bamako by mutinous soldiers supporting the opposition.

Moments after the news of President Keïta’s arrest went viral, a video showing the moment Mali President was arrested emerged on social media.

African Union and the United Nations have since condemned the military coup in Mali, with the AU and the UN calling for the immediate release of the detained Malian President.

Condemning the arrest of the country’s leader, Moussa Faki Mahamat, former Prime Minister of Chad and Chairperson of the African Union Commission, demanded the immediate release of Keita and Cisse.

In a tweet on his personal Twitter handle, Mahamat urged the people to stop violent takeover of government and respect the country’s constitution.

He said, “I strongly condemn the arrest of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the Prime Minister and other members of the Malian Government and call for their immediate release.

“I strongly condemn any attempt at anti-constitutional change and call on the mutineers to cease all use of violence and respect for republican institutions.

“I call on #CEDEAO, the United Nations and the entire international community to effectively combine their efforts to oppose any use of force to end the political crisis in Africa.”

However, President Keita announced early on Wednesday 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.

“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.

The Malian President said he has decided “to give up my duty from now on.”