Mali soldiers fire gunshots in capital

BAMAKO - Malian soldiers occupied Malian national television in the capital on Wednesday afternoon and fired into the air to show their displeasure over treatment of a conflict in the north of the country, a local Xinhua correspondent said.

The soldiers went on demonstration from a military camp Kati, 15 km from the capital Bamako, and fired gunshots before storming the state broadcaster, the Malian Radio-Television Office (ORTM) which then halt its programs, the correspondent said.

"Around 3:00 pm, soldiers landed here, asked all workers to return home because they want to take the situation under control," a young technician who preferred to be unnamed told Xinhua. "They did not exert violence. They only asked people to return to home for their own safety," he said.

Radio and television stopped broadcasting in Mali. Officials of ORTM are unreachable by phone.

The police have deserted all strategic crossroads in Bamoko, and the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) tried to regain control of the city.

A military source demanded the resignation of defence minister General Sadio Gassama who was appointed in early February. They also required changing almost every command responsible to inject new blood to security and armed forced engaged against the Tuareg rebels.

The protest came after the minister failed to placate anger of the soldiers in the camp over the government's mismanagement of the crisis caused by the Tuareg armed rebellion in the north of the country which forced around 200,000 people to flee.

Last Monday, children of soldiers attempted to demonstrate outside the presidential palace to demand more information on the situation of their parents who are engaged in combat against the Tuareg rebels. However, they were violently dispersed by forces maintaining order. Young people have vowed to continue the protest until President Amadou Toumani Toure tell them the truth about the management of the rebellion.