A handshake in Bamako that speaks louder than words
In the gilded salons of the Koulouba palace, Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Grine stood shoulder to shoulder with Mali’s military leader, General Assimi Goïta, this Monday. The scene was carefully staged as a turning point in relations between two Sahelian neighbours. Yet beneath the warm handshakes and diplomatic smiles, the weight of recent bitter disputes and the lingering ghost of the 2015 Algiers Accord cast a long shadow over a relationship that has been tested to its limits.
From accusations to embraces: the rocky road to reconciliation
Only months ago, Bamako’s ruling junta was hurling sharp accusations at Algiers. In a surge of sovereignist rhetoric that became its trademark, the Malian military government openly accused its northern neighbour of meddling in internal affairs. Among the grievances: Algeria’s alleged reception of Malian opposition figures and influential religious leaders, and, more explosively, supposed support for northern separatist rebel groups. By branding Algiers as a haven for “hostile acts” under the guise of peacemaking, the junta sought an external scapegoat to justify its security failures and the deteriorating situation on the ground.
A pragmatic marriage of convenience
This sudden display of brotherhood looks more like a forced marriage of reason than a genuine, lasting alliance. Bamako, having abruptly severed ties with its traditional Western partners and entangled in uncertain regional coalitions, is desperately seeking to diversify its diplomatic backers. Algiers, for its part, cannot afford a permanent hotbed of instability on its southern border, where terrorist networks and cross-border trafficking thrive. The Grine-Goïta meeting is therefore a matter of hard pragmatism: save appearances to avoid the point of no return, without erasing the deep resentments that have eroded trust between the two governments.
The Algiers Accord: a shadow that still dictates the game
In this quiet tug-of-war, Algeria retains a clear strategic advantage. Long seen as the security linchpin and indispensable mediator in the Sahel, it once set the peace agenda for the region, notably through the 2015 Algiers Accord. When the junta unilaterally denounced that agreement in early 2024, it believed it was asserting its authority and sweeping away any external tutelage. But reality proved different. Abandoning the Algerian negotiation framework neither restored peace in northern Mali nor eliminated the security threat. By travelling to Bamako today to impose its terms and re-engage dialogue, Algiers demonstrates its political centrality: Bamako may try to ignore Algerian diplomacy, but it always ends up having to deal with it.
The limits of military diplomacy
While this protocol visit offers General Assimi Goïta a welcome media respite, it solves none of the underlying problems. The Malian junta continues to base its power on security rhetoric while indefinitely postponing a return to democratic constitutional order. Without a genuine commitment to internal political stability and a sincere recognition of regional balances, the promises made at this meeting risk remaining pure communication. Behind the diplomats’ smiles and the crisp uniforms, the Bamako-Algiers relationship remains a minefield where each side waits for the other to stumble.
