Abdoulaye Diop, Mali's foreign minister, hosted a senior US official on Monday (February 2nd) to chart a "new course" in relations between the United States and the country ruled by a military junta.
Nick Checker, who heads the Bureau of African Affairs at the State Department, reiterated that Washington respects Mali's sovereignty.
Ahead of Checker's visit, the Bureau said on the X platform that the United States also looked forward to "consulting with other governments in the region, including Burkina Faso and Niger, on shared security and economic interests."
From 2020 to 2023, the elected civilian presidents of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger were overthrown in a series of military coups, prompting the administration of then-US President Joe Biden to limit military cooperation with those countries.
In October, Massad Boulos, a senior adviser for Arab and African affairs in the administration of current US President Donald Trump, stated in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde that democracy is "a valued value" but is no longer a condition for establishing relations.
This stance was criticized by Reed Brody, one of the lawyers for ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum. "Unfortunately, democracy and human rights are not what are important to the Donald Trump administration," Brody told Deutsche Welle.
"Mistakes of previous policy"
“It is clear that the United States is not currently addressing the issue of democracy in the Sahel,” said Ulf Lessing, director of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which is close to the German Christian Democrats. “A pragmatic approach has been adopted.” US officials, he said, emphasize that they want to correct “the mistakes of previous policies.”
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have meanwhile severed or significantly reduced relations with former colonial power France and other Western partners, turning to Russia.
These countries also withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and formed their own confederation – the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
"It is positive that the United States is offering the AES states, which France and the European Union have sought to portray as international pariahs, the possibility of negotiations and dialogue," Dr. Gnaka Lagoke, a lecturer in history and Pan-African studies at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, told DW.
He added that this leaves African countries with a choice, whether in the context of relations between the West and the BRICS countries. "The United States is trying to exploit tensions in relations with the European Union to achieve its own interests, which could benefit the AES countries," Lagoke said.
According to Lessing, military authorities in these countries enjoy some support, especially among the younger population, who do not want a return to the old elites. "People put it as their profile picture on WhatsApp. They see it as their own achievement, which has led to the creation of a new identity," he said.
Dissolution of political parties in Burkina Faso
In January, the military government in Burkina Faso dissolved all political parties, which, according to analysts, does not represent a significant change.
"A large number of political groups have proven to be incompatible with the real aspirations of the population and strategic challenges, especially in the area of security," Interior Minister Emil Zerbo told Deutsche Welle.
Political parties have been banned since the military coup in September 2022. Political scientist Moussa Diao of the University of Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis, Senegal, says he is not surprised by the decision. “Special regimes do not accept opposition and do not tolerate political actors who want to implement their own programs. Mali and Niger follow the same logic. It is just an alibi,” Diao said.
Attacks in Niger and Mali
Mali has been in a serious security crisis since 2012. The army is fighting terrorist groups, primarily ISWAP, the West African faction of the Islamic State, and the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM (Group in Support of Islam and Muslims).
The military junta has promised to suppress the rebellion, but attacks continue despite this.
Cheker's visit comes as Russia expands its influence in the region, including with the deployment of the Africa Corps.
An example is the January attack on the airport in Niger's capital, Niamey, for which ISWAP claimed responsibility. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the African Corps of the Russian Defense Ministry and the Nigerien armed forces jointly repelled the attack, neutralizing about 20 terrorists and seizing their equipment and weapons. It added that Russia would continue to contribute to strengthening regional security, including training military and police personnel.
Another JNIM attack was carried out in Mali recently. At least 15 drivers were killed in an attack on a tanker convoy, sources told AFP. The attack was reportedly in retaliation for the drivers continuing to transport fuel to Bamako despite a blockade. JNIM aims to disrupt supplies and destabilize the country's economy.
US seeks more significant role in Sahel
"The United States is seeing jihadist groups taking deeper root in the Sahel," a diplomat at the US embassy in Bamako, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP.
A Malian diplomat said, also on condition of anonymity, that the American envoy "came to offer cooperation to the AES countries and to examine under what conditions the US could get involved in the fight against jihadists in the region."
The AES countries have significant mineral resources: gold and lithium in Mali, uranium in Niger, and gold in Burkina Faso. Lessing believes that the Trump administration would likely expect something in return.
"However, it is difficult to imagine a direct exchange on the principle: give us mineral resources, and in return you get weapons or satellite reconnaissance," he said, adding that corruption and security risks have so far deterred US mining companies from investing in those countries.
The role of the European Union in the Sahel
The situation in the Sahel is "very complex," said Julian Bergman, an expert on European Union-Africa relations at the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in Bonn.
"The example of Mali shows that France has withdrawn militarily, but is still present through development projects," Bergman said.
Other EU members, including Germany, remain active in the region, while Sweden has withdrawn. According to him, Brussels could regain influence only through a unified strategy, which requires the political will of all member states.
"Whether this is realistic, given Europe's current focus on security issues, primarily the war in Ukraine, remains an open question," Bergman concluded.
"Unfortunately, Europe is currently in a weak position. Major crises are unfolding without its real participation," Lessing assessed.
How the influence of global powers in the Sahel will be distributed in the future remains uncertain for now.
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