This is not a coup. The president is still in place but the prime minister was no longer working in the interests of the country

Bakary Mariko, spokesperson for the former military junta, explains why [fr]the army has arrested the former prime minister of Mali Cheikh Modibo Diarra who resigned shortly after along with his government. A diplomat states that: “Sanogo is pulling at the strings. Until we have a real transitional government in place, we will keep having these problems”. Disagreement between the army and the government over international military intervention in Northern Mali was mentioned as part of the reason for the arrest.