WP: The U.S. Is Preparing For A Clash With The Russians In Mali
- 23.07.2026, 8:05
Trump is considering the possibility of strikes.
The Trump administration is considering the possibility of military action in Mali against the JNIM group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
Why Now?
If the decision is made, Mali will become the eighth country Trump has ordered strikes against since the start of his second term—a presidency he initially promised to devote to ending global conflicts.
There is no consensus among high-ranking U.S. officials regarding the advisability of an attack on the group. An active advocate for the use of force is Sebastian Gorka, senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
What is JNIM and why is it a threat?
The group’s full name is Jamaʼat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin. It has established a foothold in Mali and is increasingly attacking West African coastal countries, becoming the best-armed militant group in the region and one of the most powerful in the world.
Last year, the militants organized a fuel blockade that paralyzed a significant part of the country. This spring, they carried out coordinated nationwide attacks—militants roamed the streets of the capital, Bamako, seized a strategic city in the north, and killed the country’s defense minister in a suicide bombing.
The White House’s Position
An administration spokesperson did not disclose whether Trump plans to launch strikes, but stated that the U.S. is urging governments in North and West Africa to “purchase American equipment and services” to combat terrorists.
“We call on regional partners and NATO allies to support the Sahel Alliance in its fight against JNIM and ISIS,” the official said.
Russia’s Role in the Region
The Sahel Alliance consists of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—countries where military leaders have, in recent years, ousted democratically elected governments through coups, largely severed ties with the West, and turned to Russia for assistance.
The U.S. official places the blame not on the governments themselves, but on their Russian partners, stating that Moscow “has proven ineffective” as a security partner for Mali.
To combat the violence, the Malian government has hired Russian mercenaries—first from the “Wagner” group, and now from “Africa Corps,” which is already linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to human rights activists, the Russians are accused of a number of atrocities.
Limited Cooperation
Last year, as part of an effort to renew relations with Mali, the U.S. expanded its intelligence-sharing with the Malian government, which was used in strikes by the Malian army. However, this cooperation remains significantly more limited in scope than the U.S. partnership with Nigeria, which included airstrikes and a ground mission that eliminated one of ISIS’s top leaders in Africa.
Direct U.S. military involvement in Mali carries the risk of a clash with Russian forces in the region and may require deconfliction mechanisms between Washington and Moscow similar to those in place in Syria.
List of countries where Trump has already ordered strikes
Military action against JNIM would add Mali to the list of countries where Trump has already ordered strikes: Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, and Venezuela. The administration is also conducting a controversial military campaign against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
It should be noted that this is not the first attack on Russians in Mali. In July, a convoy carrying more than 200 Russian mercenaries and local soldiers was attacked in the north of the country—the FLA group claimed responsibility for that attack at the time.
The Russian presence in the region is no coincidence: Russia has established an extensive network in Africa to recruit mercenaries for the war against Ukraine, luring citizens from nearly 40 African countries under the guise of job opportunities.
In addition, Russia actively uses African states to circumvent international sanctions, recruit new fighters, and gain access to natural resources.