( CNN ) -- Mali 's president has named Diango Cissoko as the country 's new interim prime minister , according to state media reports , hours after the abrupt resignation of the former prime minister following his arrest by soldiers . Cissoko is a former public ombudsman for the republic , according to the state-owned newspaper L'Essor . In a brief online report , the newspaper states that interim President Dioncounda Traore signed two decrees Tuesday , one removing Diarra from office and the second naming Cissoko as his successor . Read more : Opinion : Timbuktu tomb attack is an attack on our humanity . `` Things happened very quickly yesterday , '' the report says . Cissoko , 62 , is a longtime civil servant , according to public broadcaster ORTM , having served as secretary-general for former President Moussa Traore and his successor , Amadou Toumani Toure , who was deposed in March . Diarra abruptly resigned Tuesday on state television , a day after he was arrested by soldiers loyal to a former coup leader . The development was seen as another blow to the stability of a country once hailed as a model of democracy in Africa , but derailed this year by a coup and an uprising of Islamist militants . It is not yet clear what impact the change in leadership will have on regional and international efforts to tackle advances by the militants in the country 's North . Read more : U.N. defers decision on military intervention in Mali . U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he was `` troubled '' by the resignation and called again for a cessation of military interference in politics . He called for Mali to hold elections and restore peace and stability . The Economic Community of West African States , which appointed the interim president , also expressed concern over the resignation and condemned `` any form of interference by the military in the political process . '' It urged the Malian president to `` take all necessary and immediate measures to form a representative and inclusive government as soon as possible in order to pursue the ongoing efforts to end the crisis . '' Diarra , a former NASA engineer who holds U.S. citizenship , was set to fly to Paris for medical care Monday . But he received notice that his bags had been removed from the plane he was on , according to an aide who spoke to CNN on the condition of not being named . Diarra went home . Three pickup trucks filled with armed soldiers pulled up late at night and took him away to military headquarters in Kati , five miles north of the capital , Bamako , the aide told CNN . Former coup leader Capt . Amadou Sanogo met Diarra . Before dawn , armed soldiers brought the former prime minister to broadcaster ORTM and gave him a statement to read , said TV technician Adama Haidara . `` I can not 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 . Read more : International outrage grows over destruction of Mali shrines . `` 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 unknown , but his aide said Tuesday he believed he was still in Bamako . He was not harmed when he was arrested , the aide said . `` The arrest was made by a small force loyal to Sanogo , '' army spokesperson Col. Idrissa Traore said . `` 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 . '' Mali held its first democratic elections in 1992 after decades of military rule , and had a strong democracy for the most part . Read more : Is this al Qaeda 's 'last chance ' for a country ? 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 then-President Amadou Toumani Toure 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 in October 2011 and Libya plunged into chaos , Tuaregs , who had fought by his side , took weapons to Mali to ramp up their efforts . Read more : International leaders push for military intervention in Mali . A power struggle erupted between the Tuaregs and local al Qaeda-linked radicals , 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 , al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb , is linked to the deadly attack in Benghazi , Libya , 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 . Read more : What 's behind the instability in Mali ? West African states and international leaders say a rapid military intervention is essential to solving the security crisis . When soldiers seized the capital in March , the regional and international powers put pressure on them to restore democratic rule . Sanogo conceded and transferred power in April to Dioncounda Traore , after he was put forward by ECOWAS . Traore appointed Diarra as interim prime minister . Traore fled to a Paris hotel after being beaten unconscious in a May 21 attack that occurred in the presidential palace . Diarra took over the country 's leadership until Traore returned . World food day : Mali hunger crisis deepens . As the world seeks a solution to the crisis , 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 inhumane punishments are becoming common , the United Nations says . At least four times this year , the militants have attacked 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 . CNN 's Faith Karimi contributed to this report .
Diango Ba is named as Mali 's new interim prime minster . Interim PM , Modibo Diarra was arrested , then resigned on a Tuesday . U.N. Secretary - General Ban Ki - moon said he 's ` ` troubled '' by Diarra 's resignation . The international community is worried that a wing of al Qaeda is expanding into Mali .