The U.S. government on Wednesday called for a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in Mali after Malian soldiers occupied the country's national television station earlier in the day.

Commenting on the situation in the West African nation as " unclear and unfolding quickly" at the moment, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said "We believe that grievances should be addressed through dialogue, not through violence."

Media reports said the U.S. embassy in Mali has advised Americans in the country to stay indoors.

Some soldiers occupied the national television in the capital city of Bamako on Wednesday afternoon and fired into the air to show their dissatisfaction over the handling of a conflict in the north of the country.

Radio and television stations were off the air in Mali. Police have deserted all strategic crossroads in Bamako, and the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group has tried to regain control of the city.

The mutiny came after the defense minister failed to placate the angry soldiers over the government's mismanagement of the crisis caused by the Tuareg armed rebellion in the north of the country, which forced around 200,000 people to flee.