Algeria has conveyed “many regrets and deep concern” following Mali’s military rulers’ decision to annul a 2015 peace agreement with separatist rebels, a deal previously mediated by Algeria.
The peace accord, crucial for Mali’s stability, had been signed between the government and Tuareg armed groups in Algiers, with Algeria serving as the main mediator.
“Algeria has taken note, with many regrets and deep concern, of the Malian authorities ending the agreement for peace and reconciliation in Mali,” the Algerian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Malian junta blamed the “change in posture of certain signatory groups” and “acts of hostility” by Algeria, accusing it of hosting representative offices for some of the signatories that had since become “terrorist actors”.
The initial Algiers agreement aimed at incorporating former rebels into the Malian defense forces and granting greater autonomy to the country’s regions, a move now jeopardized by the recent developments.
Separatist rebels under the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) had accused the military junta in July 2022 of abandoning the pact.
