The United States is nearing an agreement with Mali that would enable it to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, flights over Malian airspace to gather intelligence on jihadist groups operating in the country, Reuters reported on March 9 based on conversations with a current U.S. official and one former U.S. official. Neither the U.S. State Department nor the Malian government commented on the matter.

Reuters' report comes after the United States lifted sanctions on Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara and other Malian officials for having ties to Russia's Wagner Group/Africa Corps in late February. The United States' advancement of bilateral cooperation with Mali may be partly driven by efforts to release a U.S. national kidnapped while serving a Christian mission in neighboring Niger.