The streets of Bamako, Mali, were quiet on Saturday, belying the power crises at play throughout the nation following Wednesday's coup.

Putschists insist they are in firm control, having ousted the Malian government, but the junta's sanctity is in doubt as the international community calls for the restoration of President Amadou Toumani Toure to power. Meanwhile, northern rebels are taking advantage of the power struggle.

"I am Captain Sanogo and I am in good health, all is well," the coup leader said, after rumors of his death Friday night. He insisted he had the backing of all of the armed forces.

Angry low-ranking soldiers upset with the government's handling of a rebellion by northern nomads, Tuaregs, revolted on Wednesday, taking control of the presidential palace and Mali's state television and forcing President Toure to flee.

Tuaregs benefit from power vacuum

Tuareg rebels, in the meantime, are taking advantage of the power struggle and have closed in on a key city in northern Mali on Saturday. Soldiers in the north were forced to recruit militia to help them fight the rebels.

"Thanks to Allah the almighty and his blessings, we will soon take our land in Kidal," a Tuareg rebel group called Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith) said as its fighters surrounded one of the north's main towns.

The Islamist Ansar Dine is fighting along with the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) in an attempt to free the traditional homeland of the nomadic desert Tuareg.

The light-skinned desert tribes, which sparsely populate the north, are a minority in Mali and have staged several uprisings in recent decades. On January 17, the Tuareg launched their first rebellion since 2009. Several towns have fallen and scores of soldiers are said to have been killed and captured.

Junta gets frosty international reception

Despite saying they are in firm control of the nation, the junta's degree of control was in question on Saturday.

"The junta looks increasingly isolated and rudderless," analyst Paul Melly, of the London-based Chatham house, told the news agency AFP from Dakar.

"There's no sign of a coherent plan and the putschists seem to be feeling their way hour by hour," he said.

The junta also suffered international condemnation. The African Union temporarily suspended Mali while Canada and Europe froze aid, and the United States has threatened to do the same.

A delegation of U.N. and African officials told the military junta to hand power right back, noting that its plans to fix Mali's problems and restore security before stepping down will not work.

The message was delivered on Friday during a lightning visit by U.N. and African Union officials and the head of the regional ECOWAS Commission, the U.N. Secretary General's special representative for West Africa, Said Djinnit, said on Saturday.

tm/slk (AFP, Reuters)