Mali's Prime Minister, Sheikh Modibo Diara, resigned hours after he was arrested by soldiers at his home after trying to flee the country.
"I, Sheikh Modibo Dijara, am resigning with my government," said a visibly nervous Dijara in an address to the nation on state television.
He did not explain his decision, which will further complicate the situation in a country where the military and politicians have remained divided since a coup in March and where the north of the country is occupied by extremists linked to al Qaeda.
Diarra was arrested by about 20 soldiers when he tried to leave the country and go to France.
"This is not a coup. The president remains in office, but the prime minister is no longer working in the interest of the country," said Bakari Mariko, a spokesman for the group of soldiers who carried out the coup in March.
Diara is a former NASA scientist and Microsoft's head of Africa.
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