Rebel military leader Captain Amadou Sanogo led a March 22 coup in Mali, which deposed democratically-elected President Amadou Toumani Touré. Sanogo cited frustration with Touré's handling of an insurgency by members of the Tuareg ethnic group in northern Mali as the reason for the coup.
Sanogo's rebel army is said to mostly comprise of junior soldiers, who were discontent with being sent to fight the Tuaregs. A small faction of the military has remained loyal to Touré and is believed to be protecting the deposed leader.
Meanwhile, neighboring countries have imposed sanctions on Mali's financial and energy sectors, imporing Sanogo to reinstate the nation's constitution, which was dissolved following the coup. Sanogo has promised to restore Mali's 1992 constitution and to hold elections, but did not specify a date.
Click to the slideshow to see pictures of Sanogo and his rebel army.