Bamako — The Malian government has expressed "its deep concern at the persistence, on the part of some Algerian authorities, of continuous acts of interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Mali, characterized by paternalism, condescension and contempt".

This was stated by the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement published on January 1, in response to the statements of the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Atta. On December 30, Atta stated that "a military solution is impossible in the Sahel and the Sahara, particularly in Mali, because it has failed on three occasions in the past". The Algerian minister was referring to the armed groups operating in Mali and other Sahel states.

But it also referred to Malian opposition groups, stressing that they cannot be considered "terrorist groups" since they signed the Algiers Accords in 2015, a pact aimed at resolving the political conflict in Mali. These statements have been perceived by Bamako as a direct challenge to its efforts to combat terrorism on its territory.

In the statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Bamako recalled the accusations launched by Mali as early as January 25, 2024 of "Algeria's proximity and complicity with terrorist groups", to whom it "provided logistical support, including food and shelter, while controlling their criminal activities against the civilian populations of Mali and the Sahel".

The Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses that strategic decisions on the fight against terrorist armed groups, allegedly supported by foreign states, fall exclusively within the sovereignty of Mali" and its Burkinabe and Nigerien neighbors with whom Mali created a confederation after the secession of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States). The statement calls on Algeria to "focus its energies on resolving its own internal crises, including the Kabylie issue, rather than using Mali as a tool to improve its international positioning."

Finally, Bamako concludes its statement by stating: "Considering the poorly concealed sympathy of the Algerian authorities towards terrorist groups operating in Mali and the Sahel, the Ministry reiterates Mali's firm opposition to any form of interference by Algeria in its internal affairs and will not allow any foreign actor to carry out fire-starting strategies."