U.S. Re-engages Sahel After AES Pushback

The United States has quietly resumed direct engagement with Mali, a move that signals a possible recalibration of policy toward the Sahel after years of sanctions and disengagement. In this episode of the breakdown, the focus is on U.S. re-engagement in the Sahel, following the arrival of a senior U.S. envoy in Bamako amid rising regional coordination by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The visit comes weeks after Washington imposed travel bans on the three countries, prompting an unprecedented collective response in which the AES issued reciprocal restrictions on U.S. citizens. Analysts say the episode suggests regional unity, rather than minerals or aid dependence, may be emerging as Africa’s most effective source of geopolitical leverage in an increasingly competitive global order.