Soldiers stormed the presidential palace of one of the few established democracies in this corner of Africa and announced Thursday that they had seized control of the country, ousting Mali's president just one month before he was due to step down at the end of his legal term. Mali troop mutiny Image copyright ORTMTV Image caption It is not clear whether Capt Amadou Sanogo has the support of all Malian forces Mutiny leader Capt Amadou Sanogo (pictured above) has imposed a national curfew 
 
 It follows anger among troops at the government's handling of a Tuareg rebellion in the north 
 
 The whereabouts of President Amadou Toumani Toure are unknown 
 
 A number of ministers have been arrested 
 
 Country has had democratic rule for 20 years Troops in Mali attack palace Mali country profile 
 
 It comes after the renegade troops had staged a mutiny traded gunfire with soldiers loyal to the government. Troops are upset with the government's handling of a Tuareg rebellion in the north of the country, and are also reportedly opposed to any potential talks with the rebels. He said Mali has had democratic rule for the last 20 years, during which it has come to be seen as a model which other emerging democracies can look to. After several hours of footage of traditional Malian music and dancing, a group of soldiers appeared on screen early on Thursday morning, with a caption identifying them as the "Committee for the Re-establishment of Democracy and the Restoration of the State". The soldiers said a nationwide curfew was in force and that the constitution had been suspended. "The CNRDR representing all the elements of the armed forces, defensive forces and security forces has decided to assume its responsibilities and end the incompetent and disavowed regime of (President) Amadou Toumani Toure," they said, reading from a statement. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS said it "strongly condemns the misguided actions of the mutineers." The events that culminated in the coup began Wednesday morning at a military camp in the capital, where Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Gassama came for an official visit. Image copyright AP Image caption Residents in Bamako said soldiers were firing into the air overnight in celebration 
 
 "We are in control of the presidential palace. By afternoon, troops had surrounded the state television station in central Bamako, located in southwest Mali, yanking both the television and radio signals off the air for the rest of the day. By Wednesday evening, troops had started rioting at a military garrison located in the northern town of Gao, some 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away. There were military in the streets, stopping people," said Katarina Hoije. There are reports of military forces surrounding the presidential palace and movement of vehicles between the palace and the military barracks." Lt Konare condemned the "inability" of the government to "fight terrorism", and said the soldiers would look to hand over to a democratically elected government.
– A military coup is under way in Mali, as renegade soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital of Bamako today, and soon afterward appeared on state TV to announce that they had booted the president and taken over the country, the BBC reports. The soldiers said they were suspending the constitution, dissolving its institutions and instituting a nationwide curfew. They said they were taking power because of President Amadou Toumani Toure's failure to defeat a rebellion by the Taureg tribes in the north, the AP reports. The military “has decided to assume its responsibilities and end the incompetent and disavowed regime of Amadou Toumani Toure,” the troops said, adding that it “does not in any way aim to confiscate power, and we solemnly swear to return power to a democratically elected president as soon as national unity and territorial integrity are established.” The mutiny comes just a month before Toure was set to leave office legally.