Mali could recognise Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara

The intensification of the diplomatic crisis between Mali and Argelia, including the recall of the respective ambassadors for consultations, could lead to a change of direction in the Bamako government's foreign policy.

This change of direction would entail a rapprochement towards Morocco, which could include a recognition of the Kingdom's sovereignty over Western Sahara, as well as a series of strategic alliances aimed at protecting the border between Mali and Algeria.

Mali recalls its ambassador to Algeria

The turning point in this diplomatic rift between Bamako and Algiers was the meeting in the Algerian capital between the Algerian president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and Imam Mahmoud Dicko, a cleric sympathetic to the opposition government in Bamako, who is highly critical of the Malian army and its intervention in national politics.

This meeting did not sit well in Mali, whose Foreign Minister, Abdallah Diop, recalled his ambassador to Algeria for consultations, which started an exchange of accusations between the two countries' media.

At almost the same time as reporting this crisis in diplomatic relations with Algeria, the Malian Foreign Ministry highlighted the presence of Minister Diop at the Atlantic summit held in Marrakesh (Morocco) on 23 December.

Rapprochement with Morocco

This Atlantic summit, held at the initiative of Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, was aimed at facilitating access to the Atlantic Ocean for the Sahel countries, with the express support of Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mali itself.

According to statements made by the Malian Foreign Minister, Abdallah Diop, after meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, "the royal initiative represents an important factor, capable of providing an economic and geopolitical response to peace and security concerns".

The Malian government's current strategy is to highlight the weight of historical, commercial and humanitarian relations between Mali and Morocco, which could lead to Bamako's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

In this sense, personalities such as the former Malian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ould Abdallah, and the Moroccan professor of International Relations and International Law, Mohamed Lakrini, have expressed their views in this regard.

In declarations to the digital newspaper Al Arab, Lakrini stressed that "what has happened between Algeria and Mali can be considered, in the language of international relations, as an opportunity to recognise Moroccan territorial integrity, especially since Algeria has welcomed the Malian opposition, which also threatens Mali's territorial security".

Problems on the Mali-Algeria border

Lakrini also warned that Mali and Algeria share a long border, more than 900 kilometres long, which, in an environment of deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries, poses serious security problems related to armed groups, arms smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal immigration networks.

For this reason, it is in the Malian government's interest to strengthen diplomatic relations with a strong ally in the region, Morocco. In fact, the Kingdom has made several diplomatic moves in favour of security in Mali, and relations between the two states have grown closer in recent years.

It should be recalled that King Mohammed VI visited Bamako in 2013 and 2014, leading to the signing of 17 agreements in various sectors, which has made Mali the third largest destination for Moroccan investment in Africa and the second largest beneficiary of Moroccan training scholarships.