U.S. Department of State
Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs
Johnnie Carson has served as the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of African affairs since May 2009. He is a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service. The following is excerpted from February 14, 2013, testimony during the House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on “The Crisis in Mali: U.S. Interests and the International Response.” The evolving crisis in Mali is one of the most difficult, complex, and urgent problems West Africa has faced in decades. Mali’s problems reflect the fragility of governance in the region, the lack of economic development — especially in northern Mali, the…