Algeria claims to defend a political solution and rejects the military option, while Mali, supporting a military approach with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, accuses Algeria of interference and complicity with terrorist groups.
Diplomatic relations between Mali and Algeria are experiencing a new escalation around the issue of the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, marked by tense exchanges between the two countries.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf recently reaffirmed 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 argued. The minister also defended the movements that signed the Algiers Agreement, rejecting their designation as ” terrorist gangs » and emphasizing the need for future negotiations with these groups.
In reaction, 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 clear sympathy of the Algerian authorities towards terrorist groups operating in Mali and the Sahel ».
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 rejects any future mediation by Algeria. The Malian press release calls on Algeria to “ focus on resolving its own internal crises and contradictions, including the Kabyle question », denouncing external interference in its anti-terrorism strategy.
This crisis comes after a series of disputes in 2023 and 2024. In December 2023, the two countries had already recalled their respective ambassadors for consultations, a consequence of growing tensions around the management of the security crisis in the Sahel.
In January 2024, the Malian government announced the immediate end of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed in 2015, due to the resumption of hostilities between the Malian army and certain rebel groups.
The Malian authorities denounced the change in posture of these groups, now qualifying them as terrorist actors. They also criticized the inability of international mediation to enforce commitments.
After the end of Minusma, clashes resumed, and the rebels, grouped under the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA), accused the Malian authorities of abandoning the Agreement. The Malian government had called for an inter-Malian dialogue.
AC/md/Sf/APA
