U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on Tuesday that he held talks with Mali’s foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, to discuss shared security concerns as the West African country faces mounting pressure from Islamist insurgents.
In a post on X, Landau said the United States “commends the armed forces of Mali in their fight against Islamic extremist militants (JNIM),” referring to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al Qaeda-linked group that has escalated attacks across the country in recent months.
The discussion comes amid a deepening security crisis triggered by JNIM’s blockade on fuel imports, which the group announced in early September.
The blockade, coupled with repeated attacks on convoys carrying fuel into Mali, has crippled transportation and commerce in the landlocked nation and strained the capital, Bamako.
Last week, the U.S. State Department ordered the departure of non-essential American personnel and their families from Mali, citing heightened security risks.
Analysts say the two-month blockade has severely disrupted daily life in Bamako, with fuel shortages leading to power cuts and paralyzed public services.
While JNIM fighters have been operating within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of the capital, experts believe the militants currently lack the capability and intent to capture the city of four million people.
However, the group has expanded its influence in rural areas, enforcing strict social codes, including a decree requiring women to wear the hijab on public transport.
The United States has repeatedly urged Mali’s military government to maintain regional cooperation in combating extremism, even as relations with Western nations have cooled since the 2021 coup.
Washington’s renewed diplomatic engagement signals growing concern that instability in Mali could further destabilize the wider Sahel region, where jihadist groups continue to gain ground.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
