The newly appointed head of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, Nick Checker, has visited Mali to revitalize bilateral cooperation with Bamako. The visit is reportedly based on "new foundations, mutual respect, and the absence of any form of interference".
The State Department has announced that it also plans to consult with the governments of Burkina Faso and Niger regarding shared security and economic interests. Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, who welcomed the U.S. diplomat, said no official statement would be issued. The visit, however, comes as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has pivoted toward a "trade, not aid" foreign policy approach.
All three Sahelian nations are mineral-rich, with substantial reserves of gold, lithium, and uranium. Diplomatic sources note that the United States is closely monitoring how jihadists are establishing themselves in the region and aims to prevent further escalation. Checker's visit follows a period in which Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger cultivated closer ties with Russia and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) after cutting ties with Western partners.
The newly appointed head of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, Nick Checker, has visited Mali to revitalize bilateral cooperation with Bamako. The visit is reportedly based on "new foundations, mutual respect, and the absence of any form of interference".
The State Department has announced that it also plans to consult with the governments of Burkina Faso and Niger regarding
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Frank W. Garcia Jr., a veteran Republican Congressional aide with limited Africa experience, has been nominated by President Trump to lead the Africa Bureau at the State Department. Garcia, whose nomination to be Assistant Secretary for Africa was submitted to the Senate by the White House on January 29th is currently senior advisor to House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) chairman.
Until his
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Nick Checker, who moved into the top job at the State Department's Africa Bureau earlier this month, spent most of the past decade at the CIA. Unlike his two predecessors who have occupied the post since President Trump took office a year ago - both career diplomats - Checker has been at State for only four months.
As 'Senior Bureau Official' - the designation the administration is using for acting positions in many agencies - Checker is charged with managing day-to-day
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the growing number of terrorist groups on the continent is not just a regional concern, but one that requires global attention. The UN chief said a "unified, coherent and consensus-based" response was necessary to address the problem.
The Sahel region accounts for about 19% of terrorism attacks worldwide, and more than half of the terrorism-related
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Many African countries have beefed up border security after a surge in terror attacks along the west coast. According to analysts, terrorists are based in landlocked Sahel states.
The Global Terrorism Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace lists Africa's Sahel region as a terrorist hotspot. It is estimated that 51% of global terror-related deaths are recorded in the Sahel, where two
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Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have pulled out of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a joint statement, the military-led West African states said that the court's jurisdiction had "transformed into an instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism". The countries accused the ICC of being a global example of "selective justice".
The military-led governments argued
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Heads of state of Mali's Assimi Goita, Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani and Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traore pose for photographs during the first ordinary summit of heads of state and governments of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in Niamey, Niger July 6, 2024.
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