Will Trump attack Mali next? | Gravitas

US President Donald Trump and his administration have often referred to the 47th American president as the "peace president". Trump has also actively and repeatedly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize.

A White House fact sheet from February stated, "Through bold actions rooted in peace through strength, President Trump has ended conflicts, dismantled threats."

However, the "peace president", who returned to the White House in January last year, is reportedly considering launching an attack against an eighth country.

After ordering strikes in Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, Donald Trump is reportedly considering an attack against Mali.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Trump administration is considering a strike against the Al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM.

The group, which was created in 2017, has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks and kidnappings across West African countries. It also claimed responsibility for a major attack at an airport in Niger's capital last month, while conducting fuel blockades and sieges across Mali.

JNIM has also launched a series of attacks on Mali's capital and killed the country's defence minister in a suicide attack.

But is launching strikes against JNIM perhaps the only reason behind the possible US action? The short answer is no.

Mali is one of the largest gold-producing nations in Africa and also contains large lithium deposits, making the country's natural resources lucrative for many foreign countries.

Most importantly, Mali is part of a growing alliance of military-controlled governments, including Burkina Faso and Niger, that have largely cut Western ties and turned to Russian mercenaries for security. This shift came especially after recent military coups ousted their democratically elected leaders.

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Mali is also part of the Sahel region in Africa, a 5,000-kilometre semi-arid transitional belt that separates the Sahara Desert to the north from the humid savannas to the south. The US has been actively working in the region to counter Russia and China's growing security and economic footprint.

Earlier this month, Russia reportedly sent massive shipments of heavy weapons and military hardware to the military junta in Mali in its fight against JNIM.

The US administration has been urging Sahel countries and other coastal West African governments to purchase US equipment and services to support their war efforts against militants.

Last year, the Trump administration reportedly began increasing intelligence sharing and military support to the coup-ruled governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The deal reportedly gave the US greater access to each of the countries' natural minerals in return.

However, the possibility of attacking Mali is not straightforward.

For one, the Trump administration is reportedly split over the issue. Experts have also warned that any direct US military involvement in Mali carries the risk of hostilities with Russian forces in the region.

Any US strikes could also potentially result in JNIM targeting Americans in the region, which the group has reportedly not done so far.

Whether the Trump administration will go ahead with launching strikes in Mali or work out a similar deal as the one with the Nigerian government, which resulted in US strikes that killed one of the Islamic State's top leaders, remains to be seen.

One thing is clear, however. The Sahel region is increasingly becoming a major factor in the struggle for global dominance.