Mali’s ruling junta announced the “immediate termination” of the pivotal 2015 Algiers Accord with northern independentist groups on Thursday, January 25, a move that marks a significant shift in the country’s peace efforts. The accord, previously regarded as crucial for stabilizing Mali, has been a subject of contention in recent years.
Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, the government spokesperson appointed by the military, conveyed the junta’s decision in a televised statement. Citing the “change in posture of some signatory groups” and “acts of hostility and instrumentalization of the accord by Algerian authorities,” the junta justified the abrupt termination.
The Algiers Accord, already perceived as weakened, encountered additional challenges in 2023 as hostilities reignited between independentist groups, primarily Tuaregs in the North, and the Malian army following the withdrawal of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), an action orchestrated by the junta.
In early 2023, Colonel Assimi Goïta, the leader of the junta, announced the establishment of a “direct inter-Malian dialogue” to prioritize national ownership of the peace process.
In Thursday’s announcement, the government formally declared the “absolute inapplicability” of the Accord for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, leading to its immediate termination. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Permanent Strategic Framework, an alliance of armed groups that signed the 2015 accord but resumed hostilities last year, lamented, “All negotiation channels are now closed. We have no choice but to fight this war imposed on us by this illegitimate junta with whom dialogue is impossible.”
The termination of the Algiers Accord follows a series of ruptures initiated by the military, which seized power in 2020. These include severing longstanding ties with France and its European partners, pivoting towards Russia, and compelling the departure of MINUSMA.
The decision also unfolds amidst strained relations between Mali and its significant neighbor Algeria, with whom Mali shares hundreds of kilometers of border. Colonel Maïga’s strongly-worded statement accused Algeria of multiple acts of unfriendly behavior, hostility, and interference in Mali’s internal affairs. The government denounced Algeria’s “erroneous perception” of Mali, portraying it as their backyard or a doormat, reflecting disdain and condescension.
Among various grievances, the junta accused Algeria of harboring offices of some signatory groups of the 2015 accord that have transitioned into “terrorist actors.” The Malian regime “demands that Algerian authorities immediately cease their hostility.”
Mali has grappled with turmoil since insurrections, including independentist and Salafist movements, erupted in the North in 2012. The ensuing violence, marked by a jihadist insurgency linked to Al-Qaeda, prompted a French military intervention and plunged the Sahel into conflict.
Following a ceasefire in 2014, armed groups and loyalist factions, including Tuareg-dominated elements, signed the “Algiers” peace accord in 2015, aiming for more local autonomy and the integration of fighters into a “reconstituted” army under state authority.
However, jihadist factions persisted in fighting against the state under the banners of Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, escalating the conflict to central Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, both witnessing military coups in 2022 and 2023.
The termination of the Algiers Accord further complicates Mali’s already challenging peace and stability prospects, raising concerns about heightened conflict and strained regional relations.
