KIDAL, Mali, March 30 (UPI) -- Malian rebels captured the town of Kidal one week after a military coup seized control of the country.
"[Kidal] is totally controlled [by us], there is no more resistance, all army positions have fallen," a fighter with the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad -- a Tuareg rebel -- told BBC Afrique Friday.
The soldiers, calling themselves the National Committee for the Establishment of Democracy, overthrew President Amadou Toumani Toure and dissolved the government and other institutions of power in the West African nation March 22.
The coup had taken control of Kidal, which has a large military base, to battle the rebels. The rebels, though, were able to seize the town because military officers had diverted their attention to relations with the international community, BBC reported.
The Economic Community of West African States has condemned the coup, threatening to close land borders, freeze Mali's assets and impose a financial blockade if the military doesn't step aside before Monday.
