Algeria softens tone on Mali despite Bamako’s support for Morocco on the Sahara

During a recent session of the Morocco-Mali High Joint Commission held on Friday in Bamako, the Malian government reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan claim over Western Sahara. This declaration has not elicited an official response from Algiers, which has chosen instead to focus on strengthening its relations with Bamako.

On Monday, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf welcomed Mali’s new ambassador to Algeria, Mohamed Amaga Dolo, marking his return to Algiers. «This meeting aligns with the recent positive momentum in the fraternal and neighborly ties between Algeria and Mali, aimed at further strengthening them», stated Algeria’s Foreign Ministry in an official release.

Tebboune: «Algiers does not interfere in Mali’s internal affairs»

In a conciliatory gesture, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reached out to Malian authorities shortly after. «Our dialogue with Mali is purely positive. We collaborate in combating crime and illegal immigration (...) We are not adversaries or enemies. We have shared a border for centuries, and nothing divides us», he remarked in an interview with local media.

The Algerian president emphasized that his country «does not interfere» in Mali’s internal matters, a statement at odds with previous actions. In February 2023, Tebboune hosted representatives of political and armed groups from Azawad in Algiers. Subsequently, the Azawad Liberation Front was announced on November 30, 2024. Moreover, he received Imam Mahmoud Dicko, a significant opposition figure in Mali, in December 2023. Dicko has since been in exile in Algeria.

In the same interview, Tebboune accused unnamed parties of misleading Malian authorities by suggesting that «Algeria must not be a regional player because it interferes in others' affairs. We do not interfere in other people’s affairs».

Official relations between Algeria and Mali resumed on July 10, 2026, concluding a 15-month standoff characterized by the recall of ambassadors and mutual airspace closure.

For context, the Mali issue was previously discussed between President Tebboune and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on April 28 in Algiers. Landau had encouraged Tebboune to normalize relations with Bamako. Ten weeks after their meeting, Algiers reestablished ties with the Malian authorities without requiring any retraction of their support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.