Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has said he had an excellent conversation with Malis foreign minister

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has spoken with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop on "shared security interests" in the Sahel, where Western troops have been expelled over alleged failure to curb a long-running jihadist insurgency.

Landau said the discussions were held on Tuesday via a phone call, according to 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 wrote.

He added that the US "commends the armed forces of Mali in their fight against Islamic extremist militants" including Al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

The armed group has recently imposed a blockade on fuel imports to the landlocked country and has reportedly attacked convoys of fuel tankers attempting to enter or reach the capital, Bamako.

The West African nation has been embroiled in deadly jihadist violence since 2012, with Tuareg rebels and allied Islamist groups launching repeated attacks in the country's north. The insurgency later spilled over into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, prompting Western military interventions.

However, the military governments in Mali, followed by allies in Burkina Faso and Niger, expelled French forces after years of joint operations, arguing that their engagement had failed to halt the attacks.

In September 2024, the USwithdrewassets and forces from a $100-million base in Niger after the government in Niamey terminated a defense agreement that had allowed 1,000 American soldiers and civilian contractors to operate in the country for over a decade. The former French colony cited the failures of the contingent and accused the US of attempting to dictate Niger's choice of allies.

Washington had relied on Niger as a key location for counterterrorism operations in the Sahel, including monitoring the activities of jihadist groups. The Pentagon also pulled personnel from its only military site in Chad in April 2024, following a request from Chadian authorities for their departure.

Earlier this year, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) chief General Michael Langleytoldreporters in Kenya that the unit is reassessing its presence on the continent amid its declining influence.

(RT.com)