Algiers recalls its ambassador to Mali
Without making the slightest reference to the summoning of the Algerian ambassador to Bamako by the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Algiers in turn announced the summoning of the Malian ambassador, Mr Mahamane Amadou MAIGA, in a press release issued at the end of the day by Ahmed Attaf's department. The summons was motivated by "recent developments in the situation in this country (Mali)".
Before explaining the "recent meetings with the leaders of the movements that signed the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Mali resulting from the Algiers process", the Algerian minister, according to the communiqué, recalled with precision that historically, all Algeria's contributions to the promotion of peace, security and stability in Mali have always been based on three cardinal principles from which it has never deviated and from which it will not deviate.
First, Algeria's unwavering attachment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and national unity of Mali.
Secondly, the profound conviction that the peaceful path, to the exclusion of all others, is the only one capable of guaranteeing Mali irreversible and lasting peace, security and stability.
Thirdly, and as a consequence of the first two principles, it is through national reconciliation and not through recurrent fratricidal divisions that Mali will embark on a common enterprise carried out by all its children without discrimination or exclusion, ultimately guaranteeing its sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity".
With this statement, Ahmed Attaf sought to dispel any ambiguity about the audience granted by President Tebboune to Imam Mahmoud Dicko in the presence of the head of the Algerian security services, who is said to have initiated the meeting.
Using reassuring and very diplomatic language, the Algerian minister tried to "calm things down" and avoid any escalation of the tension that has been building between the two countries since the Malian army seized the town of Kidal in northern Mali on 14 November. Algeria has no interest in adding another belligerent to its borders, in addition to Morocco and Libya.
Statement by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Mr Ahmed ATTAF, summoned the Ambassador of the Republic of Mali to Algeria, Mr Mahamane Amadou MAIGA, on Thursday 21 December 2023, in connection with recent developments in the situation in that country.
The Minister recalled that, historically, all Algeria's contributions to the promotion of peace, security and stability in Mali have always been based on three cardinal principles from which it has never deviated and from which it will not deviate.
First, Algeria's unwavering attachment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and national unity of Mali.
Secondly, the profound conviction that the peaceful path, to the exclusion of all others, is the only one capable of guaranteeing Mali irreversible and lasting peace, security and stability.
Thirdly, and as a consequence of the first two principles, it is through national reconciliation and not through recurrent fratricidal divisions that Mali will embark on a common project carried out by all its children without discrimination or exclusion, ultimately guaranteeing its sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity.
In addition to this reminder, reference was made to the communiqué issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 13 December, in which Algeria called on "all Malian parties to renew their commitment to implement the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement resulting from the Algiers process, in order to respond to the legitimate aspirations of all components of the brotherly Malian people for lasting peace and stability".
It was also pointed out to the Malian ambassador that the recent meetings with the leaders of the movements signatory to the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Mali resulting from the Algiers process were perfectly in keeping with the letter and spirit of this communiqué. In this context, Mr Ahmed Attaf expressed the hope that the Malian government, in line with the expression of its attachment to the implementation of this Agreement, would join Algeria's current efforts to give it a new impetus.
Finally, Mr Ahmed Attaf stressed that Algeria's multifaceted and secular relations with its sister country, Mali, oblige it to do everything in its power to help Mali to take the path of peace and reconciliation, which are the true guarantees of its security, development and prosperity. It is in this spirit that Algeria considers and assumes its role as chair of the Follow-up Committee for the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Mali resulting from the Algiers process.