French Sudan, today’s Mali gained independence in 1960 whilst Algeria followed two years later with independence in 1962. Since then, these two counties have worked for a long time to strengthen diplomatic relations as they share a long border that runs through the Sahel desert from Mauritania in the northwest to Niger in the southeast. The rise of terrorist group activities and political instabilities in Mali has led to heightened security by Algeria at its borders. Algeria in its security approach maintains a more diplomatic strategy as opposed to Mali’s military order.
On March 31, Algeria’s Ministry of Defence shot down a Malian drone, causing an immediate show of dissatisfaction by Mali. Many Malian youth took to the Algerian Embassy located in Bamako to protest. Although the embassy admitted to shooting down the drone, it cited concerns over authorisation and breach of airspace by the Malian drone. Mali was quick to refute this claim, stating that the drone had not crossed the border at Tin Zaouatine, despite Algerian Ministry of National Defence’s 1.6 kilometres penetration report on April 1.
Diplomatic tensions has since raised, with both Mali and Algeria shutting down their airspaces for all flights from these two countries. Mali and its allies; Niger and Burkina Faso also recalled their respective ambassadors from Algeria, leading Algeria to “apply a principle of reciprocity’s and recall its ambassadors to Mali and Niger for consultations and postpone the appointment of its new ambassador to Burkina Faso”.
It is important to note that Algeria and Mali have not always been enemies. Algiers has for a long time being a traditional mediator of Malian conflicts. Algeria has also sought to fight against terrorism by having representatives from Algeria itself, Mali, Mauritania and Niger from the Joint Operational Staff Committee(CEMOC) in 2010. Although this initiative did not come to realisation, it underscores Algeria’s position in contributing to political stability actions. A background of neo-colonialism in Algeria and Mali’s histories has also affected economic and political policies. In recent times, Mali has formed stronger alliances with France, their former colonizer, and Russia, although Algeria’s relations with France has turned to crisis, the expulsion of twelve French embassy officials being the country’s latest move. Mali’s position on military rule and power juxtaposes Algeria’s inclusive regional stance to resolving conflicts.
The low presence of Algeria’s army in fighting Mali insurgents through the French-led Barkhan operation in 2010 and their anti-military rule stance, has led to their marginalisation and backlash from the Alliance of Sahel States(AES), who maintain a position that Algeria is in turn supporting terrorism. Mali has cited concerns of Algeria being a safe hub for separatist groups that are able to launch attacks across the border. The Mali junta this year, brought an end to the Algiers Accords of 2015, citing the lack of other signatories, including Tuareg groups, to hold up their commitments. Whilst tensions are high in Northern Mali, with clashes between its military and the Tuareg, Algeria supports a negotiated settlement that seeks to address rebels concerns. Motivation from this stance arises from Algeria’s fear of Tuareg autonomy from Algeria, Mali and Burkina Faso however, Mali maintains its hostility against rebels, launching frequent attacks. There is an obvious lack of trust between these two countries and Mali’s allies.
Security crisis remains one of Mali’s biggest enemy to economic development and although the Alliance of Sahel States has brought a positive outlook to Mali’s economic outlook, the country is still a far way from leaving the low-income bracket. For Africa to uphold a united front and benefit from intercontinental relations, there has to be a change. Algeria is the African country with the largest defence budget as of 2024, and therefore should be more active in supporting other Sahel regions in the fight against terrorism. Peace talks and diplomatic dialogues should also be considered, and a return of Malian and Algerian ambassadors to their respective embassies could be the first step in the right direction. The Alliance of Sahel States could also adopt a friendlier approach to dealing with Algeria to mitigate tensions.
Overall, tensions between Mali and Algeria strains the possibility of future diplomatic cooperation, and more civil organisations and diplomat experts are being called upon through the media to address issues. Mauritania, a seemingly neutral country when it comes to Mali-Algeria relations, could be used as a peace broker platform although there has been no recent comments.
