Mali-Algeria : Diplomatic Tension Heightens

Diplomatic relations between Mali and Algeria are experiencing a new round of escalation. On Wednesday, January 1, 2025, Malian authorities, denounced the “persistence acts of interference” by its Algerian neighbor, whom it accuses of supporting “terrorist groups”. Mali’s reaction follows a statement made by Algerian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf reaffirming his country's position in favor of a political solution in Mali, rejecting the military option, which he considers doomed to failure. “The military solution is impossible in the Sahel and the Sahara, particularly in Mali, because it has been attempted three times in the past and failed,” he maintained. The Minister also defended the movements that signed the Algiers Agreement, rejecting their designation as “terrorist bands” and emphasizing the need for future negotiations with these groups.
In response, the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a press release received by APA on Wednesday, accused Algeria of “complicity” with terrorist groups and interference in its internal affairs. Bamako notably denounced “the obvious sympathy of the Algerian authorities towards terrorist groups operating in Mali and the Sahel”. Bamako asks Algiers to “stop making Mali a lever for its international positioning”.
On January 25, 2024 after putting an end to the Algiers peace agreement signed in 2015, Mali which has opted for a military approach in cooperation with Burkina Faso and Niger within the framework of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), firmly rejected any future mediation by Algeria. The Malian press release called on Algeria to “focus on resolving its own internal crises and contradictions, including the ...