Mali's president steps down after military intervention

Malian soliders celebrate after apparent coup
(Image credit: John Kalapo/Getty Images)

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resigned on Tuesday, hours after mutinous soldiers arrested him and Prime Minister Boubou Cissé in the capital, Bamako. "I do not wish for blood to be shed anymore so I can maintain power," he said, ending his seven years in power. The apparent coup attempt followed a weeks-long political crisis during which protesters took to the streets demanding Keita's departure. His critics accused him of leading the West African nation to economic collapse amid a worsening security crisis driven by deepening ethnic and ideological tensions.

The U.S. and much of the international community condemned the "unconstitutional change." Anti-government protesters celebrated in Bamako.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.