Mali\'s President Amadou Toumani Toure has officially resigned as part of a deal to end the political crisis in the country. The military staged a coup last month and toppled him from power. Under the agreement, mediated by a bloc of West African countries, an interim president and a transitional government will rule until elections are held. The coup leaders earlier agreed to step down once the president had quit. The new authorities will have to deal with an uprising in the north, where Tuareg tribes declared independence on Friday.