The spokesperson of the mutineers, Col. Maj. Ismael Wague (C) speaks during a press conference in Kati, near Bamako, Mali, on Aug. 19, 2020. Mali's mutinous soldiers on Wednesday announced the creation of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) to lead a political transition toward general elections following the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the dissolution of the National Assembly and the government. (Photo by Habib Kouyate/Xinhua)

Mali's mutinous soldiers on Wednesday announced the creation of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) to lead a political transition toward general elections following the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the dissolution of the National Assembly and the government.

"We are not keen on power, but on the stability of the country, which will allow us to organize general elections within a reasonable time-frame to allow Mali to equip itself with strong institutions that are capable of managing our daily lives and restoring confidence between the rulers and the ruled," the spokesperson of the mutineers, Col. Maj. Ismael Wague said in a statement read on national television.

"In order to prevent the country from sinking, we, the patriotic forces gathered together in the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), have decided to take our responsibilities to ensure the continuity of the state and public services," he said.

The spokesperson also announced a series of decisions coming into force on Wednesday until further notice, including the closure of all air and land borders, and a 9 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew.

The CNSP invited civil society and socio-political movements to join in order to create "the best conditions for a better civil transition leading to credible elections."

Following a mutiny that broke out early Tuesday at the Soundiata Keita camp in Kati, Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his prime minister were taken there by mutinous soldiers in the afternoon.

Detained in the military camp in Kati, president Keita announced his own resignation and the dissolution of the National Assembly and the government late Tuesday on national television.

The seizure of power by the mutinous soldiers has been strongly condemned by several countries and regional and international organizations.

In 2012, a coup that overthrew then President Amadou Toumani Toure, a few months before the end of his mandate, also began with a mutiny at the same camp in Kati, 15 km from the Malian capital, Bamako.

Mali's mutinous soldiers are seen in front of a military camp in Kati, near Bamako, Mali, on Aug. 19, 2020. Mali's mutinous soldiers on Wednesday announced the creation of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) to lead a political transition toward general elections following the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the dissolution of the National Assembly and the government. (Photo by Habib Kouyate/Xinhua)