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Rabat – Tensions between Mali and Algeria flared at the United Nations General Assembly, with Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, Mali’s Minister of State and government spokesman, accusing Algeria of harboring terrorists and interfering in Mali’s internal affairs.
Maiga’s fiery address, delivered during the 79th Ordinary Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, marks a significant escalation in the already strained relations between the two African nations.
The Malian official’s attack came in response to recent criticism from Algerian diplomats, who condemned Mali’s drone strikes that killed civilians near the border town of Tinzaouatene.
These strikes followed a significant military defeat for Malian forces at the hands of Tuareg rebels. Algeria’s rebuke, however, was met with strong words from Maiga, who dismissed their interference and defended Mali’s actions.
“We are witnessing serious interference in Mali’s internal affairs,” Maiga said. “Since the end of the Algiers Agreement on January 25, 2024, Mali has expressed only one wish for him: may his soul rest in peace. The agreement is well and truly dead. Your incantations will do nothing to resuscitate it.”
Maiga’s rhetoric intensified as he accused Algeria of providing support to insurgents, accusing the country of serving “succulent dishes of tchaktchouka and chorba” to terrorists.
“Apart from offering board and lodging, certainly with succulent dishes of tchaktchouka and chorba to terrorists and renegades in disarray, the Algerian permanent representative’s role as a disoriented estafette hardly contributes to the promotion of good neighborly relations,” he added.
The Malian minister also criticized Algeria for undermining the historical ties between the two nations.
Read also: Mali Rejects Algeria’s ‘Provocation’ at UN, Defends Sovereignty
“Mali demands that these two diplomatic oddballs (the Algerian MFA and the Algerian ambassador to the UN) stop taking history backwards,” Maiga declared, emphasizing that Algeria seems to have forgotten both Mali’s contributions to its war of liberation and the respect owed between neighboring states.
The Malian representative’s words underscore the deepening diplomatic rift between Bamako and Algiers, a feud that has been growing since Mali formally withdrew from the Algiers Peace Agreement earlier this year.
This move constitutes a significant blow to Algeria’s regional influence, as Mali increasingly aligns with Russia, China, and other non-Western powers.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently criticized Mali’s military partnership with Russian Wagner mercenaries, arguing: “The money this presence costs would be better spent and more useful if it went into developing the Sahel.”
Morocco has meanwhile stepped up its diplomatic efforts in the region, with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita hosting a working lunch with several Sahelian leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly.
The event focused on Rabat’s “royal initiative to promote access to the Atlantic Ocean for the Sahel states,” and its participants applauded the project while stressing Rabat’s increasing commitment to shared prosperity and stability in the region.
