U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Engages with Mali on Security Amid JNIM Threats

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau engaged in dialogues with Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop on securing shared regional interests. This conversation highlights the pressing security concerns in the region.

Landau took to the platform X, formerly known, to extend commendations to Mali’s armed forces for their ongoing battle against Islamic extremist militants, specifically the group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). This group announced a fuel blockade in early September affecting Mali, a move that further heightened regional instability.

In response to escalating security threats, the U.S. State Department recently ordered the evacuation of non-emergency staff and their families from Mali. Concerns are mounting as the two-month-old blockade by JNIM complicates life in Mali's capital and raises fears of the jihadists’ ambitions, although security analysts assess an immediate takeover of Bamako as unlikely.