Africa-Press. The head of African Affairs at the US State Department, Nick Chicker, has arrived in Mali’s capital, Bamako, in a move described as an attempt to “inject new momentum into the bilateral relationship” between the two countries. Chicker met with Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop and was also scheduled to meet the head of the ruling military council, General Assimi Goïta. In a statement published by the United States embassy on the X platform, Washington reaffirmed its respect for Mali’s sovereignty and its desire to rebuild trust with the transitional authorities.
A US diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse that Washington is closely monitoring the expansion of armed groups in the Sahel region with concern, noting that these organizations are extending their influence westward and southward toward the Gulf of Guinea. The source added that the United States is discussing ways to cooperate with Bamako to confront this growing security challenge.
US conditions for renewed engagement
Since the military took power between 2020 and 2023, Mali has strengthened its partnership with Russia, including the use of the Wagner Group, which has been reorganized under the name “African Corps.” A Malian diplomat said that Washington conditions any renewed cooperation with Bamako on a return to constitutional order and the termination of contracts with the “African Corps.”
The US embassy also noted that Nick Chicker will hold consultations with several governments in the region, including Burkina Faso and Niger, on security and economic issues. The United States had suspended much of its development aid and military cooperation with Mali following the recent coups, but is now seeking to recalibrate its Africa policy.
The current US administration is advancing a new approach centered on “commercial diplomacy” as the core of its engagement on the continent, aiming to counterbalance growing Russian influence and strengthen its economic and political presence in West Africa.
