BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian soldiers took up arms in the garrison town of Kati on Tuesday and began arresting senior military officers in an apparent mutiny that comes after more than two months of political demonstrations calling for the president's resignation.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the latest unrest to wrack Mali, but the developments already had prompted at least one government ministry in the nearby capital of Bamako to evacuate as soldiers began detaining officials.

"Arrests are being made of officials. It’s total confusion,” said an officer at Mali's Ministry of Internal Security, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to journalists.

Witnesses said armored tanks and military vehicles could be seen on the streets of Kati, located only 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the capital. The French Embassy in Bamako tweeted that residents of Kati and Bamako should stay indoors amid the latest developments.

Soldiers from Kati have long played a role in Mali's political upheaval: Rank-and-file soldiers at the town's military barracks backed an army captain who launched the 2012 coup that unleashed chaos across the country.