Mali: Pressuring junta, France suspends joint military operations with Malian forces

France said on Thursday it was suspending its joint military operations with local troops in Mali as part of efforts to pressure the military junta there to restore a civilian-led government. Mali’s military arrested interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane last week and pressured them to resign, derailing a transition to democratic elections after another military coup last August. Former vice president Assimi Goita, a colonel who led the August coup and last week’s revolt, was declared president on Friday. West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union have suspended Mali from their organizations and threatened…