Mali accuses again Algeria of supporting terrorists, fueling instability in the Sahel

Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Wednesday Algeria of supporting terrorist groups in the Sahel, of fueling instability in the region, and of interfering in its internal affairs.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized in a strongly-worded statement that Mali would not allow external powers to meddle in its sovereignty or act as “firefighters” while fueling conflicts.

The Foreign affairs department expressed its rejection of Algeria’s attempts to exploit Mali to overcome its international isolation and urged the Algerian regime to address its own internal political issues and contradictions, particularly regarding the Kabyle people, rather than using Mali as a tool to bolster its global position.

Commenting on the Malin Foreign Ministry’s denunciation of the Algerian regime’s support for terrorist movements and its interference in the affairs of its neighbors, Algerian political activist Chawki Ben Zahra described the statement as “strong” and “historic.” He accused the Algerian regime of supporting terrorist groups and called Algeria to settle first its own internal problems, especially the issue of independence demands in the Kabyle region.

Ben Zahra tweeted on his “X” platform account that “regional isolation has been confirmed, and Algeria has become ostracized in the region due to the absurdities of Algerian diplomacy, the latest of which was the press conference by Attaf (the Foreign Minister), where he attacked Mali and Morocco in a vile manner. This confirms the term ‘diplomatic scum’ that Colonel Maiga, the head of the transitional government in Mali, attached to both Attaf and Ammar Ben Jamaa.”

Algeria shares 1,400 km of border with Mali, a landlocked country that has faced a security crisis since 2012 with jihadist and independence insurgencies in northern Mali. The African country is also struggling with political instability since two military coups in 2020 and 2021.

Last October, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, accused Algeria of being “the root cause of all the problems in the Sahel and Sahara.”

Hilale, who was responding to remarks by Algeria’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, criticized Algeria for harboring terrorists, extremists, and separatists. These find refuge on Algerian soil and threaten regional stability, Hilale said.

“There is a terrorist, extremist, and separatist threat in the Sahel, and it’s all because of Algeria,” Hilale said, urging Algeria to cease meddling in the internal affairs of neighboring countries and respect their sovereignty.

Mali’s Minister of State, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, echoed similar accusations at the UN, declaring that Mali would no longer adhere to the Algiers Agreement and would respond decisively to any further aggression or insults.