The United States announces cooperation with Mali in combating terrorism

Deputy Assistant of the US Secretary of State for West African Affairs and Special Envoy to the African Sahel region, William Stevens said that his country is committed to cooperating with Mali in the fight against terrorism, and wants to actively cooperate with it in this common fight.

“Combating terrorism is a shared responsibility,” Stevens added during a press conference held at the residence of the first counselor at the US embassy in Bamako, according to several local and regional media outlets, adding that al Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara pose a direct threat to the United States.

The US official explained that the United States, “which already imposes sanctions on these organizations, is working to block their financial resources to limit their ability to operate”.

During a working visit to Mali on July 21 and 22, Stevens discussed various other areas of cooperation with a number of Malian officials, including health, trade, and investment.

He was received by Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, where they discussed “bilateral relations, respect for state sovereignty, the peace process, and prospects for economic partnership”.

Diop welcomed the US administration’s new stance toward his country, affirming its desire to continue to maintain friendly relations and partnership with the United States, within the framework of constructive dialogue.

In late July 2023, under former President Joe Biden, the United States imposed economic sanctions on three Malian military officials, accusing them of helping the Russian private military group Wagner establish and expand its activities in Mali.

The sanctions target current Defense Minister Sadio Camara, Air Force Chief of Staff Colonel Alou Boye Diarra, and his deputy Colonel Adama Bakayoko.

The US Treasury Department said that the Malian Minister of Defense visited Russia several times in 2021 to sign an agreement between the Wagner Group and the Malian transitional government.

The current US-financial rapprochement under President Donald Trump comes after the withdrawal of Wagner Group from the country and the announcement that the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Africa Corps would take over.

This is a tour of the African Sahel countries, in a move that observers view as steps taken by Washington to obstruct Russian influence in the region.