Mali's prime minister abruptly resigned Tuesday on state television, a
day after he was arrested by a group of soldiers loyal to a former coup
leader.
The development is
another blow to the stability of a country once hailed as a model of
democracy in Africa, but one derailed by a coup and an uprising of
Islamist militants.
Cheick Modibo Diarra, a
former NASA engineer, who holds U.S. citizenship, was set to fly to
Paris for medical care Monday, when he received notice that his bags had
been removed from the plane, said a close aide, who did not want to be
named.
Diarra decided to stay
home, where three pick-up trucks with armed soldiers pulled up at 11:00
p.m. and took him away to military headquarters in Kati, five miles
north of the capital Bamako, the official said. There he met with former
coup leader Capitaine Amadou Sanogo.
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Armed soldiers brought
the former prime minister to broadcaster ORTM around 1 a.m., said TV
technician Adama Haidara. "Mr. Diarra looked tired, worn out," he said.
The soldiers gave him a statement to read.
"I cannot say if he was forced," Haidara said. "He looked unharmed."
In his televised
appearance on the military controlled broadcaster, Diarra did not offer a
reason for his resignation, except for a vague statement that he
solemnly delivered.
"Our country Mali is
going through the most difficult period in its history," he said.
"During this time of crisis, the men and women of this country --
uncertain of what is going to happen to their country -- find themselves
in an unfortunate situation.
"That's why I, Cheikh Modibo Diarra, have resigned with all my government, on this day, Tuesday, 11 of December of 2012."
Diarra's whereabouts are yet unknown, but his aide believes he is still in Bamako.
"He was not injured when the military arrested him last night," he said, "but he has not come into his office today."
"The arrest was made by a
small force loyal to Sanogo," said army spokesperson Colonel Idrissa
Traore. "The majority of the military officers in Bamako were not
informed about the arrest of Mr. Diarra, and no one knows what will
happen now," he said.
Mali held its first democratic elections in 1992 after decades of military rule, and had a strong democracy for the most part.
That was until March,
when a group of soldiers toppled the government, which it accused of not
providing adequate equipment to battle ethnic Tuareg rebels roaming the
vast desert in the north.
The president disappeared from sight.
The Tuareg rebels took
advantage of the power vacuum and seized parts of the north. They have
always wanted independence, and have staged several rebellions since the
1960s.
After Libyan leader
Moammar Gadhafi was killed and Libya plunged into chaos, Tuaregs, who
had fought by his side, took weapons to Mali to ramp up their conquest.
A power struggle erupted
between the Tuaregs and local al Qaeda-linked radicals -- including
Ansar Dine -- who prevailed and seized control of two-thirds of northern
Mali, an area the size of France.
The international community is also worried that al Qaeda's north African wing is expanding into Mali.
U.S. officials have said
that the wing, the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is linked to the
deadly Benghazi attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and
three others.
Tuareg rebels have
retreated from the well-armed militants, but have vowed to fight back
and establish their own country in the north, which they call Azawad.
And as the world seeks a
solution, the Islamist militants are busy applying their strict
interpretation of sharia law, including the banning of music, smoking,
drinking and watching sports on television.
They also publicly stoned a couple to death in July for reportedly having an affair.
Public executions, amputations, floggings and other inhuman punishments are becoming common, the United Nations says.
At least four times this
year, the militants have destroyed Timbuktu's historic tombs and
shrines, claiming the relics are idolatrous. The picturesque city was
once an important destination for Islamic scholars for its ancient and
prominent burial sites and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
West African states and international leaders say a rapid military intervention is essential to solving the security crisis.
When soldiers seized the capital, the regional and international powers put pressure on them to restore democratic rule.
Sanogo conceded and
transferred power to interim President Dioncounda Traore, who was
appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Traore appointed Diarra interim prime minister.
Traore fled to a Paris hotel after being beaten unconscious in a May 21 attack that occurred in the presidential palace.
Prime Minister Diarra took over the country's leadership until Traore returned.
