Relationship dossier
Mali
United States
Relationship assessment
Earlier development and security cooperation has been strained by Mali’s coups and US restrictions on assistance.
Mali toward United States
-10Malian governments cooperated with the United States on development and security matters. Since the coups, Mali’s transition authorities have pursued policies that have strained relations with Washington, including maintaining military rule despite US calls for a return to civilian government.
United States toward Mali
-5The United States provided development and security assistance to Mali. Following the coups, it restricted some assistance and criticized the transition authorities’ continued military rule.
Overall relationship
0The bilateral relationship has included tangible US development and security assistance, but military coups in Mali and subsequent US restrictions have weakened cooperation. These opposing features support a mixed overall characterization rather than a close partnership or sustained hostility.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Mali and the United States have had development and security cooperation, including US assistance to Mali. Relations became more strained after Mali’s 2020 and 2021 coups: the United States restricted some assistance, while Mali’s transition authorities pursued policies that drew US criticism. The relationship combines earlier cooperation with significant friction over military rule and assistance.
Areas of tension
- Mali’s coups and continued military-led transition have drawn US criticism.
- US restrictions on assistance following the coups have strained bilateral cooperation.
Key developments
Following Mali’s 2020 coup, the United States restricted some assistance to the country.
Following the 2021 coup, the United States again restricted assistance and called for a return to civilian rule.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of current bilateral security and development cooperation is unclear.
- The extent to which restrictions on US assistance have changed over time is unclear.