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Algeria: Trouble On Country's Border With Mali And Niger
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The Nation (Nairobi)
12 March 2008
Posted to the web 11 March 2008
Laeed Zaghlami
Algiers
On the face of it, it is easy to say that Algeria's borders with Mali and Niger are secure and pretend that business is flourishing because there is peace.
However, these countries have had to contend with acts of terrorism, illegal migration, illegal trade and arms trafficking which create a climate of uncertainty, unease and insecurity, with wider implications for sub-Saharan Africa.
At the moment, the situation is particularly bad in northern Mali, which borders Algeria, where there is a rebellion by ethnic Targuis opposed to the central government and who continue to hold some military officers hostage.
The rebel action is considered a blatant breach of the 2006 Algiers agreement, which aims are to pave the way for a peaceful and long-lasting solution.
It is clear that neither the Algerian nor Malian authorities are happy with the situation, and they have doubled their efforts to find a solution through diplomacy.
Just last week, Mr Dioun Canda Traoré, who heads Mali's parliament, met with top Algerian authorities. The issue in north Mali was on top of the agenda.
Mr Traoré's visit came after high level contacts between the two countries.
Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré was in Algiers last November. Before his visit, a committee made up of members from the two countries had met to promote bilateral co-operation and re-establish security and peace within their borders.
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It seems the countries are now determined to find a solution to the problem to restore hope and stability in the region.
Those advocating a security option have called for the intervention of foreign troops.
However, others prefer a negotiated settlement to the Targui issue, saying Africa has suffered enough from colonialism, tribalism and misery, and it is time the continent found home-grown solutions to its problems.
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