Mali: Is Algerian regime involved in coup plot ?
Malian authorities have arrested lately dozens of soldiers accused of plotting to topple the country’s military leaders amid alarming reports that Tuareg rebels supported by Algeria are gaining ground in the north.
According to press reports, about 50 soldiers and senior officers including General Abass Dembele, the former governor of the Mopti region, have been detained for their involvement in planning to overthrow the Malian government of National transitional council.
The coup attempt, which threatens the stability of the country’s military rule, comes amid a heightened internal political tension combined with strained relations with the Algerian regime and rapprochement with Morocco
The coup plot also comes following the successful operation carried out by the Moroccan and Malian intelligence agencies leading to the liberation of four abducted Moroccan truck drivers in Sahel and the interception of significant weapons shipment intended for armed groups operating in Mali.
According to some analysts, the Algerian regime is extremely concerned by the Rabat-Bamako rapprochement. It views their alliance as a “backdoor” threat. To restore its lost lustre and geostrategic interests, the reckless Algerian junta, which supports separatist and terrorist groups, is suspected of hatching destabilizing schemes to halt its declining regional influence.
The decision of Mali’s military rulers of withdrawing from the Algiers Peace Agreement signed in 2015 with separatist rebels has exacerbated tensions between Bamako and Algiers over divergences on sensitive issues such as crisis management in the Sahel, the fight against terrorism, and political transition in Mali.
In January 2025, hundreds of Malians demonstrated in front of the Algerian Embassy in Bamako to protest against the political and military interference of the Algerian regime in their country’s domestic affairs.
The demonstrators denounced Algeria’s actions which they said undermine Mali’s sovereignty and stability. They were waving banners with slogans saying: “No to foreign interference” and “Mali is sovereign”.
The protesters decried Algeria’s connivance with terrorist groups, citing in this regard the support and shelter provided to radical Imam Mahmoud Dicko, opponent of the Malian military regime.
To restore its eroding regional influence and counter the Rabat-Bamako axis, the Algerian regime is supporting military and political opponents to Malian rulers, while Morocco continues strengthening its economic and security cooperation within the frame of the Kingdom’s African policy advocating a solidarity-based partnership with all Sahel countries for shared growth, stability, and prosperity.