Mali’s military rulers have been eulogized by a senior United States official. The praise comes days after the U.S. advised its citizens and diplomats to exit Mali.
But in an X post on Tuesday, Christopher Landau, deputy secretary at the U.S. State Department, commended Mali’s armed forces for confronting Islamic extremist fighters linked to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM.
“The U.S. commends the armed forces of Mali in their fight against Islamic extremist militants (JNIM). Today I had an excellent conversation with Mali’s Foreign Minister to discuss our shared security interests in the region. Look forward to greater cooperation,” he posted.
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His message stressed a notable shift in U.S. policy toward Mali’s military leadership, which has faced global criticism since seizing power in 2020. Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to respond to the overture, but domestic voices within the transitional government expressed optimism.
“Given the Americans’ expertise in this area, this can only be positive for us,” said Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, a member of the transition legislative council, told the Associated Press.
The timing of the diplomatic gesture is striking. Under the Trump administration, U.S. engagement in the Sahel dwindled as a series of coups across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger ruptured relationships with Western allies. The result was a widening security vacuum, further destabilized by the expulsion of French troops and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger.
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Attacks by armed groups have continued to go up. Joint efforts by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, operating collectively as the Alliance of Sahel States, have struggled to curb the advances of insurgents, including JNIM, whose recent fuel blockade has crippled Mali’s economy. The blockade, which has led to hours-long queues for fuel, has also intensified pressure on Mali’s junta, which had promised to restore national stability by defeating jihadist groups.
Yet despite the United States’ renewed outreach, analysts caution that any substantial U.S. military support is still uncertain. “So far, the U.S. remains engaged diplomatically with no indication if there is going to be a military engagement very soon, unless there is a radical change in the security posture of both countries in the region,” said Rida Lyammouri of the Policy Center for the New South.
Meanwhile, JNIM’s ambitions appear to be expanding. The group, long entrenched in rural areas, is now tightening its grip on economic choke points and inching closer to the capital.
“The growing intensity of the fuel blockade, operations on the city’s outskirts, and even reports that the group is in touch with political figures opposed to the government suggest they may now be really considering more of a Taliban-type takeover,” warned James Barnett, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute.
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