London, Apr 7 (IANS): Britain temporarily closed its embassy in Mali Friday following an unstable situation in the country.

"Given the unstable and unpredictable situation in Mali and the continuing lack of constitutional rule, the Britain has decided to temporarily withdraw its staff from its Embassy in Bamako and temporarily suspend all in country services immediately, including consular assistance," Xinhua quoted a British Foreign Office spokesperson as saying.

"Consular assistance will continue to be provided to British nationals from our embassy in Dakar," the spokesperson added, but warning that its ability to help those who chose to remain in Mali "may become limited".

Last Saturday, the British Foreign Office had issued a warning to all British nationals in Mali, urging them to leave the west African country due to security concerns.

On Friday, a rebel group declared independence of northern Mali from the west African nation, according to a statement posted on its website, adding further uncertainty to the region.