The soldiers, who said they had formed the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State,[7] declared the following day that they had overthrown the government of Amadou Toumani Touré, forcing him into hiding.

[11] Tuareg rebels launched a major offensive against Mali's security forces and military in a bid to seize the northern town of Kidal on 6 February 2012.

[12] On 8 February, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seized the Mali-Algeria border town of Tinzaouaten as Malian soldiers crossed into Algeria.

[13] Islamist Ansar Dine demanded the imposition of Islamic law in northern Mali, while the secular Tuareg nationalist Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) have stated they want an autonomous, if not completely independent, homeland.

[14] The coup attempt followed weeks of protests of the government's handling of a nomad-led rebellion in the country's north, which had dropped Touré's popularity to "a new low".

[22] Later that day, armored vehicles sealed off the presidential palace, and reporters heard 10 minutes of automatic gunfire near the headquarters of the Malian state broadcaster, whose programmes went off the air.

[24] In the evening, after several hours, Mali's state broadcaster ORTM came back on the air with a brief message displayed against a backdrop of traditional Malian music and dance.

[34] Loyalists confirmed that Touré was "safe and in command" at a military camp somewhere in Bamako, under protection from his "Red Berets", a parachute regiment which he formerly served in.

[35] As the day progressed, the rebel soldiers looted the Presidential Palace, taking TVs and other goods, while their leader urged them to stop the celebratory gunfire, which had been responsible for at least 20 injuries in the capital.

Several African leaders said they had been in touch with the ousted Malian president and that he was still safe and under the protection of forces that remained loyal to him at an undisclosed location outside Bamako.

[14] A group of prominent Malian political figures made an announcement condemning the coup as "a step backwards", including presidential candidate Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

[43] However, an anonymous source from Sanogo's staff stated that Touré continued to be protected by members of the parachute battalion that had formed his presidential guard.

[42] Meanwhile, The New York Times reported an observer describing the situation as "very fluid", and that rumours of a counter-coup continued throughout the day, exacerbated by the hour-long disappearance of the Malian television signal the previous night.

[44] Following reports that men in police and military uniforms were looting shops and stealing cars in Bamako, Sanogo appeared on national television to denounce the "vandalism and pillaging" and state that the perpetrators were opposition forces impersonating soldiers in order to turn public opinion against the coup.

[14] The Agence France-Presse reported the streets of Bamako were calm but largely deserted due to fears of looting and a petrol (gasoline) shortage.

[45] It was announced that ECOWAS heads of state were planning to hold an emergency meeting in Abidjan on the 27th, the day on which the junta had called for striking civil servants to return to work.

[48] A thousand-person protest also gathered in Bamako to urge a return to democracy,[49] chanting "Down with Sanogo" and "Liberate the ORTM" (Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali).

"[54] Several thousand Malians took to the streets in the capital to show their support for the junta and reject "foreign interference" as the Economic Community of West African States said it was putting regional troops on standby for any necessary intervention.

[54] A violent clash took place at the Labour Exchange, which was serving as an opposition headquarters; a number of coup opponents were reportedly injured by thrown rocks and then arrested by police.

[62] The New York Times reported that civil servants had been unable to resume work due to widespread looting by coup soldiers, including the theft of most government computers and the cash from safes.

[66] Meeting one of ECOWAS's demands, Sanogo announced that the CNRDR would reinstate Mali's previous constitution, and begin "to organise free, open and democratic elections in which we will not participate".

[73] The UN Security Council stated "strong condemnation of the forcible seizure of power from the democratically-elected government" and again called for "the immediate restoration of constitutional rule... and for the preservation of the electoral process.

[80] Later in the day, ECOWAS and the coup leaders reached an agreement on a transition of power and lifting of sanctions, under which National Assembly of Mali Speaker Dioncounda Traoré would become interim president and oversee new elections.

Following Traoré's inauguration, he pledged to "wage a total and relentless war" on the Tuareg rebels unless they released their control of northern Malian cities.

[85] Mali state television announced that Cheick Modibo Diarra has been appointed interim prime minister to help restore civilian rule.

[94] In an effort to restore stability to Mali following the military coup, a new government of national unity was formed on 20 August and approved by interim President Dioncounda Traoré.

[98] Following weeks in which he lost popular support and the backing of the High Islamic Council,[99] Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra was arrested by soldiers on 10 December and taken to a military base in Kati.

[102] A military spokesman, Oumar Mariko, stated that Diarra had been seeking to "stay in power indefinitely", blocking the transition to democracy, and that he would be detained until a new prime minister was appointed by the president.

[31] The coup occurred as the head of United Nations Office for West Africa, Said Djinnit, was in the capital for the AU summit and to help mediate the crisis.

[106] Amnesty International noted its concern that the coup foreshadowed a "period of uncertainty on human rights", and called on Sanogo's forces to release their political prisoners from detention.