Mali gets Chinese military support, a hard blow to Algerian regime

Mali military rulers have sealed a military partnership with China amid heightened tension with the feckless neighboring Algerian regime, accused by Bamako of interfering in its domestic affairs and supporting terrorist groups threating its stability.

Under an agreement signed in Beijing on the sidelines of the ongoing China-Africa cooperation forum, China will provide the West African country drones, armored vehicles, military training, and defense technologies.

The deal was inked by Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Camara and the head of the Chinese military firm Norinco in presence of Interim president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces Col. Assimi Goita.

Last week, Mali’s ambassador to UN clashed with Algerian peer, saying Algiers has no right to lecture Bamako on human rights or international law, denouncing Algeria’s support for armed groups in the Sahel region.

He also accused Algeria of providing safe haven to separatist groups that launch attacks across the border, underlining Mali’s right to defend itself.

The Mali government, which has been fighting various insurgencies in the north of the country for more than a decade, requested help from Wagner after a military junta took power in 2020.

In addition to Mali, Libya, Niger, Burkina-Faso and other Sahel countries decry Algeria’s ties with separatist movements, Tuareg rebels, and radical jihadists posing a serious threat to the entire sub-Saharan region.

Following the erosion of the French hegemony in Africa, the Algerian regime has lost its regional luster exacerbated by deepening political, economic and social crises, while Morocco emerged as regional economic and military power, playing a key role in countering regional security threats.

The shifting economic and security dynamics in favor of Morocco has enraged and shaken Algeria’s ruling junta which has become more paranoid than ever, standing on the cliff-edge.