Mali: Demonstration in Bamako against Algiers’ interference & connivance with terrorists

Hundreds of Malians demonstrated this Friday 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 peaceful demonstrators, all civilians, 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, called for an end to all foreign interventions in Mali’s internal affairs, and voiced support for Malian authorities.

The protest sit-in comes amid growing tensions between Mali and Algeria over divergences on sensitive issues such as crisis management in the Sahel, the fight against terrorism, and political transition in Mali.

Mali accuses Algerian military regime of fueling insecurity in the Sahel by supporting Tuareg rebels. On January 2024, Mali’s military rulers scraped the Algiers Peace Agreement signed in 2015 with separatist rebels.

The agreement had become null and void since 2023, when the predominantly Tuareg separatist groups reopened hostilities in the north against the central government and the Malian army.