Mali has rejected Algeria’s meddling in its domestic affairs and reiterated accusations saying Algiers was using terrorist groups to gain a foothold in the Sahel.
In a foreign ministry statement, Bamako denounced “the persistence of interference acts” by Algeria in Mali’s internal affairs.
The statement came in response to remarks by Algerian foreign minister Ahmed Attaf who criticized the sovereign decision of Bamako to withdraw from a deal that was brokered by Algeria in 2015.
Algeria has been offering a rear base for the Azwad separatists and their Al Qaeda allies led by Iyad Ag Ghali, since the Wagner-backed advance of the Malian army , following the takeover of the military of power in the country
The Malian foreign ministry reiterated its denunciation of “the proximity and complicity of Algeria with the terrorist groups that destabilize Mali and to whom it has provided shelter and support.”
Mali “strongly condemns this new interference by Algeria in Mali’s internal affairs,” reads the statement.
The statement recalls that it is up to Malian authorities to decide how to confront terrorism and urges Algeria to stop using Mali to advance its international agenda.
Algeria had better focus on its own challenges such as the Kabylie independence movement, the statement said.
Since Mali left the Algeria-brokered deal, it has been accusing Algeria of manipulating terrorism to pressure its Sahel neighbors.
The Malian statement shows the scale of isolation suffered by Algeria’s diplomacy since the advent of the military-civilian duo Chengriha/Tebboune, with near state of war with Morocco, tense ties with Haftar in Libya, deteriorating ties with Niger and Mali and a Mauritania that is distancing itself from Algiers.