Mali suspends peace agreement with Algeria “with immediate effect”
The transitional Government of Mali has announced the ”immediate effect" of the suspension of the 2015 agreement with Algeria between the government and Tuareg separatist groups, following the recent escalation of tensions with Algeria, the main mediator between the two sides. This after several rebel leaders went to meet with the Algerian president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Approved in 2015, the peace treaty between Mali and Algeria has provided stability to both nations who, especially in anti-terrorist matters.
Mali's military junta has suspended the 2015 UN-brokered peace deal with Tuareg separatist rebels, accusing them of hostilities and meddling in their internal affairs, according to a military spokesman on Malian state television. From Bamako, they denounced Algeria's attitude towards them as “their backyard or doormat in a context of contempt and persistent discrimination."
The decision by Mali's ruling military junta came days after the Algerian government issued an official statement denying unfounded claims that “the plan was proposed for Mali at the Kampala Non-Alignment Summit."
🇲🇱 El gobierno maliense ha acusado a Argelia de llevar acabo acciones hostiles e injerencistas contra Mali. Entre otras cuestiones, se acusa al gobierno argelino de hospedar representantes de grupos "considerados actualmente como terroristas" en su territorio. pic.twitter.com/IRnTIbFX9j
— Descifrando la Guerra (@descifraguerra) January 25, 2024
A statement issued on Saturday said: "A website claiming to be linked to the Association of Sahel States has spread unfounded claims and falsely claimed that Algeria took the initiative against Mali at the non-aligned summit in Kampala. The Algerian side said in a statement that the final document of the talks included provisions related to the Mali Peace and Reconciliation Agreement that deviated from Algeria's position, adding: “The Algerian delegation officially denies having accepted such a proposal.”
Everything contained in the final document on the Kampala financial crisis was adopted after the Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Countries in Baku. The document was prepared specifically by the Non-Aligned Movement and Algeria did not participate in its drafting.
They also deplore the unwillingness of the Algerian authorities to maintain the UN sanctions regime against Mali, when the Non-Aligned Movement and the Russian Federation opposed them in Mali's interest when they called for the lifting of sanctions.
The Malian authorities have issued a statement addressing several "instances" that condemn, among them, the "unilateral imposition of a transition period" and "the highest levels of acceptance of subversive civilians by the Algerian state without consultation or prior notice and of civilians prosecuted by the Malian legal system for acts of terrorism."
Algeria has always acted as an intermediary between Mali and the Tuareg militias. However, with the seizure of power by the military after the coups d'état of 2020 and 2021, tensions increased and the conflict broke out.
