"Abdoulaye Diop, the foreign minister of Mali, hosted a senior US official on Monday to chart a "new course" in relations between the United States and the junta-led nation. Nick Checker, who heads the US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, reaffirmed Washington's respect for Mali's sovereignty. Ahead of Checker's visit, the bureau posted on X 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 through 2023, the elected civilian presidents of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger were overthrown in a series of coups, prompting the Biden administration to restrict US military cooperation. In October, Massad Boulos, the senior adviser for Arab and African affairs under the current US president, Donald Trump, told Le Monde newspaper that democracy is "appreciated," but it is no longer a criterion for ties. Reed Brody, one of the lawyers for Niger's deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, has criticized this stance."
""Unfortunately, it is not democracy or human rights that matter to [US President] Donald Trump's administration," he told DW, noting that Bazoum "has been detained in the presidential palace for more than 900 days." US: correction of 'past policy missteps' "It is clear that the Americans are not concerned about democracy in the Sahel right now," said Ulf Laessing, head of the CDU-affiliated Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in Mali. "They have adopted a pragmatic stance." However, the US says it now wants to correct "past policy missteps." Nick Checker's visit to Mali comes at a time when Russia is exerting greater influence in the Sahel regionImage: U.S. Department of State/Bureau of African Affairs/X Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso had broken off or severely reduced relations with the former colonial power France and other Western partners and turne"
Nick Checker's visit to Mali aimed to establish a "new course" in relations and reaffirmed Washington's respect for Mali's sovereignty. The United States indicated intentions to consult with Burkina Faso and Niger on shared security and economic interests. Coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from 2020 to 2023 prompted prior US restrictions on military cooperation. A senior US adviser signaled that democracy is no longer a strict criterion for ties under the current administration, drawing criticism from lawyers for deposed leaders. US officials also stated a desire to correct past policy missteps amid growing Russian influence in the Sahel.
Read at www.dw.com
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