U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region Dr. J. Peter Pham (right) arrived in Bamako, Mali September 30 on a three-day trip and will meet with the transitional government, UN and African Union officials ( Credit: U.S. Embassy in Mali)

By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC TIMES

Special Envoy for the Sahel Region Dr. J. Peter Pham arrived in Bamako, Mali Wednesday on a three-day trip to meet with the transitional government, UN and African Union officials.  Pham will urge the transitional government to honor the commitments it has made to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including holding free and fair elections within 18 months.  The U.S. halted military with Mali following the ousting of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August. Pham said the  U.S. condemns the military coup.    “The U.S. will help Mali return to constitutional rule,” Pham said last week during a virtual Ground Truth Briefing hosted by The Wilson Center Africa Program titled:   “U.S. Interests and Engagement in the Sahel: Current State, Key Issues, and the Way Ahead”.  The Special Envoy also announced  the U.S. is contributing nearly $152 million in additional humanitarian assistance to the Sahel region.  “None of this humanitarian assistance will go to the de facto authorities in Mali” – Pham said during the Wilson Center briefing on the Sahel, referring to the military junta controlling Mali after the  Coup.  The US regularly provides training to soldiers in Mali, including several of the officers who led the coup. 

Le Chef de l’Etat, SEM Bah N’DAW a reçu l’Envoyé spécial des États-Unis pour le Sahel Dr J. Peter PHAM Oct. 1, 2020. Les États-Unis félicitent le Président de la Transition et saluent la mise en place d’un gouvernement de transition dirigé par des civils.

AUDIENCE | DIPLOMATIE : L'Envoyé Spécial des États-Unis pour la région du Sahel en Afrique, Dr Peter Pham a été reçu en audience ce jeudi 1er octobre 2020 par le Premier ministre, Chef du Gouvernement, M. Moctar Ouane.
[l’intégralité…] https://t.co/LP5OE1LuwK pic.twitter.com/nmjgojarAu

— Primature du Mali (@GouvMali) October 1, 2020