Mali Terminates Algiers Accord with Separatist Rebels

Mali Terminates Algiers Accord with Separatist Rebels

Actualité

Mali’s military leaders have declared the cancellation of the 2015 Algiers Accord, a peace deal with separatist rebels, citing the failure of other signatories to uphold their commitments and alleging interference in Mali’s internal affairs by chief mediator Algeria. The military government spokesperson, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, announced the immediate termination of the accord during a televised speech, expressing dissatisfaction with Algiers’ increasing unfriendly acts and hostility. Algeria had played a crucial role in facilitating peace talks between the Malian government and armed groups, primarily composed of the semi-nomadic Tuareg ethnic group. The Algiers Accord, which began to unravel in August amid heightened fighting between separatists and government forces, faced additional strain with Mali’s military government demanding the departure of the UN mission in June. Since the 2020 coup, Mali’s military leaders have distanced themselves from former colonial power France, pursuing closer ties with Russia and the private military company Wagner Group. The country has experienced ongoing violence since 2012, rooted in Islamist armed groups exploiting a Tuareg uprising fueled by grievances of government neglect and aspirations for greater autonomy.