(MENAFN) US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau engaged in talks with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop concerning “shared security interests” in the Sahel region, where Western troops have been forced to leave following accusations of failing to contain a protracted jihadist insurgency.

Landau noted that the conversation took place on Tuesday through a phone call, as indicated in a post on X.

“I had an excellent conversation with Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop to discuss our shared security interests in the region. Look forward to greater cooperation!” he tweeted.

He also emphasized that the US “commends the armed forces of Mali in their fight against Islamic extremist militants,” particularly targeting Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

The extremist organization has recently enforced a blockade on fuel imports to Mali and is reported to have attacked fuel tanker convoys attempting to enter or reach the capital city, Bamako.

Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by deadly jihadist violence, initially from Tuareg rebels and allied Islamist factions in the northern region.

This unrest eventually spread into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, triggering interventions by Western militaries.

Nonetheless, military administrations in Mali, along with their counterparts in Burkina Faso and Niger, expelled French forces after years of joint operations, contending that their presence had not succeeded in stopping the ongoing attacks.

MENAFN06112025000045017167ID1110303809