Mali’s new turmoil tests Algerian bid to reclaim mediator role in the Sahel

“Mali’s new turmoil tests Algerian bid to reclaim mediator role in the Sahel Submitted by Samira Elsaidi on Tue, 05/26/2026 - 09:27 Latest crisis in Mali offers Algiers a chance to regain diplomatic influence on a key security issue, but distrust prevails in Bamako Black smoke rises above buildings in the Malian capital Bamako after attacks by the Azawad Liberation Front and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, 26 April 2026 (AFP) Off Recent fighting in Mali that has weakened the ruling junta has revived a familiar question in the Sahel : can Algeria , once the region’s leading mediator, regain a role that many in Bamako openly question? On 25 April, an alliance of Tuareg separatists linked to the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a group seeking independence for a region in northern Mali, and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated coalition, launched a surprise attack on Malian military and government sites. They seized key towns, such as Kidal, and army bases, blockaded the capital city, Bamako, and killed the country’s defence minister, Sadio Camara , in the most serious challenge to the government since it came to power in 2020. In neighbouring Algeria, the military and political upheavals in Mali have been met with a mixture of concern and expectations about the possibility of regaining diplomatic influence that had been declining over the years. Algeria has had a historic role in managing crises in Mali and the larger Sahel region. In particular, it brokered the 2015 peace agreement, which aimed to address the root causes of the conflict in the country’s north. However, relations with Bamako have deteriorated sharply since a military coup against the civilian government of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020. Mali’s authorities withdrew from the accord in 2024 and have since accused Algeria of maintaining ties with rebel militant groups and northern separatists. Algeria rejects these accusations, saying its contacts with different stakeholders are aimed at keeping channels of communication open and preventing further escalation. For Algeria, regaining influence in Mali is a major challenge - and the stakes are high. For the North African country, Mali is not simply a diplomatic file but a direct national security concern. Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked fighters combine to cause havoc in Mali Read More » The two countries share more than 1,300km of border, and Algiers views stability in Mali as a core national security interest in the face of militant activity, arms trafficking and irregular migration. Algeria is also concerned that any further deterioration in northern Mali could destabilise its own southern regions. Toufik Gouider, an Algerian writer and researcher in international relations, told Middle East Eye that Algeria operates on the premise that “Mali’s security and stability are part of Algeria’s own security and stability”. Algeria, he added, sees Mali’s territorial integrity as a strategic interest, as any deterioration in the north could spill over into southern Algeria. A crisis of confidence in Bamako The recent security developments in Mali have highlighted the fragility of the situation in the country despite years of military operations against militant groups and separatist movements. Mali’s security crisis began in 2012 with a Tuareg rebellion in the north, which was soon exploited by militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State to expand their influence, thus developing into a wider civil war that has flared intermittently since then. 'Algeria currently enjoys no credibility as a mediator, neither with the government nor with a large segment of Malian public opinion' - Ibrahim Toure, Malian journalist Since taking power in 2020, the authorities have prioritised a military approach to reassert control over the country. But the recent attacks have shown that the threat remains far from contained. “The latest events have reinforced the belief that military solutions alone are insufficient, and that lasting stability cannot be achieved without an inclusive political dialogue that takes into account local specificities and social balances in the region,” Algerian political analyst Sadek Amin told MEE. Abandoning the 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, he added, represented a retreat from the political framework that, despite its shortcomings, provided a realistic basis for preserving Mali’s unity and stabilising the wider Sahel. The accord remains Algeria’s most significant diplomatic achievement in Mali. Signed in Algiers under UN auspices, it provided for greater decentralisation in the north and the integration of former fighters into state institutions in exchange for armed groups laying down their weapons. Although implementation stalled over the years, many diplomats and analysts continued to view it as the most comprehensive framework for addressing the root causes of the conflict. “The Algiers Agreement was the only framework that brought the Malian parties to the same table,” Malian journalist Omar al-Ansari told MEE, adding that the current authorities later undermined it by prioritising a military approach. Mali’s military authorities withdrew from the agreement in January 2024, arguing that it no longer reflected the country’s sovereignty and security priorities. Tensions between the two neighbours were further exacerbated last year when Algeria shot down a Malian drone near the shared border. Algiers said the aircraft had violated its airspace, while Bamako described the move as a serious escalation. A demonstrator holds a placard reading "Algeria=terrorist" in front of the Algerian embassy in Bamako, after Mali accused Algiers of destroying a military drone on Malian territory, on 8 April 2025 (AFP) Following the April attacks, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said his country remained committed to the “territorial integrity of Mali, the unity of its people and its institutions”, while reiterating Algeria’s categorical rejection “of all forms and manifestations of terrorism”. However, Malian officials and media commentators accuse Algeria of publicly backing Mali’s unity while maintaining ties with political and armed actors in the north, including leaders of groups that have previously rebelled against the central government. Bamako argues that these contacts give Algeria leverage in the Malian file and undermine its image as a fully neutral mediator. A Malian official who spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity said Algeria had “largely lost its credibility” with Mali’s current authorities. The source said Bamako views Algeria’s continued contacts with rebel groups and opposition figures as an attempt to preserve its regional influence rather than a neutral mediation effort. The official added that Algeria is also motivated by a desire to secure its southern border. Malian journalist Ibrahim Toure confirmed the anti-Algeria mood in Bamako, saying that authorities also believe that some individuals wanted by Bamako are residing in Algeria. “Algeria currently enjoys no credibility as a mediator, neither with the government nor with a large segment of Malian public opinion,” he told MEE. Algerian analysts reject allegations that Algiers has helped armed groups against the authorities. “These ties are not evidence of double standards, but rather a natural extension of cross-border social, cultural and historical links,” Amin said, referring in particular to the Tuareg, who inhabit lands across several countries in the Sahara. He added that maintaining contacts with local actors is “a necessity linked to protecting border stability and preventing the spread of chaos and extremist groups”. Gouider said Algeria “supports Mali’s unity wholeheartedly”, and that its advocacy for some northern communities is aimed at securing their political and institutional inclusion. Shifting regional alignments Since the military took power in Bamako in 2020, Mali has overhauled its foreign partnerships. It has ended military cooperation with former colonial power France and UN forces while strengthening security ties with Russia , which has become the authorities’ principal external military partner, notably through the deployment of Africa Corps, its state-run paramilitary organisation that succeeded the Wagner Group Africa Corps. 'Any meaningful mediating role will depend on Algiers's ability to adapt to the new realities in Bamako and rebuild trust' - Malian official AFP reported last month that Algeria may have played a discreet mediating role during the recent fighting around Kidal to secure a corridor that allowed Russian forces to withdraw. According to Gouider, Mali’s growing partnership with Moscow has narrowed Algeria’s room for manoeuvre but has not erased its traditional role in the country, given its deep experience in managing crises in the region. Algeria has in recent months sought to contain regional alignments it viewed as attempts to curtail its influence in the Sahel, he added. In particular, he pointed to the political and security coordination between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso within the Alliance of Sahel States, a bloc created in September 2023 to coordinate policy outside traditional regional frameworks. Gouider said that Algeria made diplomatic moves to reopen channels with several regional capitals and prevent these alignments from evolving into a political axis hostile to its interests or one that could limit its historic role in managing Sahel crises. What's behind the latest fighting in Mali? Read More » He added that these efforts have helped Algeria preserve its status as a key regional actor notwithstanding ongoing tensions with Bamako. Despite the lack of trust in Mali, Toure noted that Algiers still retains significant diplomatic and historical weight in the Malian file because of its longstanding ties with actors across the Sahel. Ansari also believes Algeria “remains the regional actor best placed to play a mediating role in Mali”, also citing its deep understanding of local dynamics. However, in a region where alliances are shifting rapidly, the question is no longer whether Algeria can retain influence in Mali, but if Bamako is willing to accept it once again. The Malian official told MEE that Algeria could only resume its role if it adjusted to the new political landscape in the country. “Any meaningful mediating role will depend on Algiers’s ability to adapt to the new realities in Bamako and rebuild trust,” he said. Sahel News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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