2.4% of the Malians are Christians, and if Christians work quickly, they could probably double or triple that number, along with teaching the former slaves how to resist being enslaved again. Only 10% or so of the Malians are Tuareg or Arab, so resistance could be very effective.
Islam is hemorrhaging followers in Africa, because black Africans are realizing that Arabs will always treat black Muslims as slaves, but with Christianity there is no slavery.
Therefore the Christian churches of Africa are growing by leaps and bounds: Anglican, Catholic, and Evangelical. And they are the front line against Islam and its deprivations.
American Christian missionaries in many parts of Africa paved the way for later U.S. diplomatic missions.