Nick Checker, the newly appointed head of the US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, arrived in Bamako on Monday for an official visit in Mali, where he was received by Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.
Two topics were central to the discussions between the leaders: a possible resumption of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the fight against terrorism, and the development of economic and trade relations between Mali and the United States.
Trade, not aid
The same diplomat also told news agencies that no official statement would be issued concerning Checker's visit, but it coincides with US President Donald Trump's pivot to a "trade, not aid" foreign policy approach.
Trump has slashed foreign assistance, including dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The three countries are famously known to be mineral-rich, with substantial reserves in gold, lithium and uranium.
According to the official statement from Malian authorities, both sides view the reactivation of their relations as a "win-win" partnership.
Fighting jihadism
Checker emphasised his country's respect for Mali's sovereignty and added that the American desire to revitalise bilateral cooperation with Bamako was based on new foundations, mutual respect, and without any form of interference.
A diplomat at the US embassy in Bamako told news agencies on condition of anonymity that the "United States sees how the jihadists are settling in the Sahel" and wants to prevent escalations.
A Malian diplomat, also on condition of anonymity, said that Washington's envoy had "come to make an offer of services to AES countries to see under what conditions the United States can get involved in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel".
"Among the conditions of US involvement are the return to constitutional order and the end of the Africa Corps contract," the Malian diplomat said.
Mali has been gripped by a security crisis since 2012, fuelled notably by violence pitting the military against groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the actions of criminal gangs.
The visit also comes at a time when Russia is exerting greater influence in the region, including supplying mercenaries from its Africa Corps to help combat jihadists.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have cultivated closer relations with Russia since their military leaders took power in a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, cutting ties with the West, and teaming up to create their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
From Mali to Niger and Burkina Faso
The US Bureau of African Affairs, which is part of the State Department, said last week it also planned to consult other governments in the mineral-rich region, including military-run Burkina Faso and Niger, "on shared security and economic interests".
In announcing this visit beforehand on its Facebook page, the US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs expressed its anticipation of upcoming discussions on potential exchanges with other countries in the region on security and economic matters, particularly Burkina Faso and Niger.
While welcoming this approach, the Malian Foreign Minister nevertheless emphasised that this dynamic would have to take into account the regional context, and in particular the establishment of the Confederation of Sahel States (CSA).
US security cooperation with the three countries had been curtailed since the coups, but, last month, the deputy commander of US Africa Command (Africom), Lieutenant General John Brennan, told AFP that Washington wanted to collaborate further with the three countries.
Brennan added that, "we have actually shared information with some of them to attack key terrorist targets".
"We still talk to our military partners across the Sahelian states, even though it's not official," he continued.
(with newswires)
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