The African Union has condemned the arrest of President Ibrahim Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse.

UGAMATV  had earlier reported that mutineering soldiers in Mali on Tuesday detained Keita and some members of his cabinet at his residence in Bamako, the country’s capital.

“We can tell you that the president and the prime minister are under our control,” a top rank soldier, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

Reacting in a string of tweets, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, called for the immediate release of the duo.

He also called on the United Nations and other international organisations to oppose the use of force to end Keita’s political reign in Mali.

Faki wrote, “I strongly condemn the arrest of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the Prime Minister and other members of the Malian Government and call for their immediate release.