The network of friends and sympathizers of Mali's transitional President Dioncounda Traore have asked the country's Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra to resign for failing in his responsibility of providing security to the country's interim president who was attacked last Monday by protesters.

This demand was made on Sunday by Mohamed Ag Bilal, the network's chairman, during a press conference held in Bamako.

"The push for resignations should go beyond the minister in charge of security. The prime minister himself should have the courage to resign. He should face the consequences of his inaction and resign together with his government," Ag Bilal said but insisted that his group's push for the PM's resignation is not driven by malice.

Concerning the crisis in northern Mali, Ag Bilal said that "the Malian army should fight the rebels as president Traore had said during his swearing in ceremony."

Ag Bilal reiterated that the transitional president had wanted the army to fight the rebels and he also appealed for the military intervention from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations.

He also urged the transitional president "to mobilize police and army reservists to provide security in the towns after the soldiers go on the frontline to fight against the rebels."

Ag Bilal also asked public servants to "agree to a 10 percent pay cut to support the war efforts."