The UN has been considering sending peacekeepers to Mali following a proposal that said French forces killed hundreds of extremist Islamist rebels.
French troops have entered Kidal, the last major town in their lightning drive to drive out rebels from northern Mali, military officials have said.
Pressure has been growing on Malian troops over summary killings and rights abuses in a French-led assault on al-Qaeda-linked groups.
With authorities failing to stand up to the aggression of invading extremist groups, Malians are forming rag-tag militias to defend their homes.
As an Islamic state called Azawad took root in the north of Mali, the interim president tasked with restoring unity was in a Paris hotel.
Former Nasa scientist Cheick Modibo Diarra has been named Mali’s new premier, even as its junta rounded up some of the nations top officials.
Mali is waiting anxiously to see if the military junta would restore democracy after the toppled president formally resigned.
Mali’s interim leader Dioncounda Traore has plenty to prepare for after ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure resigned as part of a deal with Ecowas.
Islamists have stormed the Algerian embassy in Mali and abducted seven diplomats amid fears that fighters are turning the country into a rogue state.
Rebels in the north of Mali have been moving south to take up state military positions, while renegade soldiers demanded the president’s arrest.