Latest news with #SahelAlliance
Business Insider
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
Landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger turn to Morocco for trade lifeline
The announcement was made on Monday during a meeting with King Mohammed VI in Rabat, according to the Moroccan state news agency. The three landlocked countries, currently ruled by military juntas following recent coups, withdrew from the ECOWAS region in 2024 and have since sought alternative partnerships to circumvent trade restrictions and diplomatic isolation. Since the formation of the AES alliance, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have distanced themselves from their traditional Western partners, expelled French forces, and deepened military cooperation with Russia. Morocco's offer represents a vital lifeline for the AES, giving it potential access to global markets while reducing its dependence on ECOWAS border states such as Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal. The Moroccan initiative, first announced in November 2023, provides access to Morocco's Atlantic ports to facilitate trade for the AES bloc. The project is seen as a strategic move by Morocco to strengthen its regional influence while promoting economic development in the Sahel region. "This initiative contributes to diversifying our access to the sea," Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told local media. The Moroccan news agency described the meeting in Rabat as part of the kingdom's "strong and long-standing relations with the three brotherly countries of the Sahel Alliance." The support comes at a time of rising tensions between the AES bloc and Algeria, Morocco's regional rival. Morocco has invested heavily in the region, particularly in agriculture and banking, and is currently building a $1 billion port in Dakhla, within the disputed Western Sahara territory, to develop its maritime infrastructure and assert control. In December, Morocco played a key diplomatic role in brokering the release of four French citizens imprisoned in Burkina Faso. This came shortly after France recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, further aligning Rabat with the Sahel's emerging leadership.
Ya Biladi
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
King Mohammed VI receives Foreign Ministers from the Sahel States Alliance
King Mohammed VI with the Foreign Ministers of the Sahel Alliance States / Ph. MAP Estimated read time: 1' On Monday, King Mohammed VI received the foreign ministers of the three member countries of the Sahel States Alliance at the Royal Palace in Rabat: Mr. Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré of Burkina Faso, Mr. Abdoulaye Diop of Mali, and Mr. Bakary Yaou Sangaré of Niger. The meeting highlighted the longstanding historical ties between Morocco and the three brotherly nations, founded on sincere friendship, mutual respect, active solidarity, and fruitful cooperation, according to an official statement. During the audience, the Sahelian diplomats conveyed to the gratitude of their Heads of State for King Mohammed VI's continued attention to the Sahel region and for royal initiatives supporting the economic and social development of their countries and populations. The ministers also praised King Mohammed VI's initiative to facilitate access for the Sahel States to the Atlantic Ocean, expressing their full support and commitment to accelerating its implementation. Additionally, they presented the King with an update on the institutional and operational progress of the Sahel States Alliance, established as a framework for integration and coordination among its three member states. It is worth noting that the three Sahel countries are currently experiencing heightened diplomatic tensions with Algeria.
Times of Oman
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
How an intercepted drone escalated Mali-Algeria tensions
Bamako: Yet another conflict story unravels from Tin Zaouatine, a desert region in Mali's far north-east. The same region that had witnessed an unprecedented defeat of Russian mercenaries who were ambushed by Tuareg rebels in August 2024 is again at the epicentre of an unfolding crisis. On the night between March 31 and April 1, a Turkish-manufactured Akinci surveillance drone operated by the Malian military literally fell from the sky. Video footage circulating on social media depicted burning debris falling and crashing into an uninhabited area. Hours later, the Algerian army stated that an air defence unit in the border region shot down an armed reconnaissance drone that had entered Algerian airspace. Bamako, the capital of Mali, disagreed, arguing that the wreckage was found almost 10 kilometres (6 miles) into Malian territory. The unprecedented incident has since created a major diplomatic rift between the neighbors. While it appears that neither side has an interest in escalating the issue, the crisis has been intensifying. Protests, retaliation and solidarity Shortly after Algeria took responsibility, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the country's embassy in Bamako, according to a DW reporter. "They destroyed the drone on our territory. Enough is enough! We're here to show the world that we stand with our authorities," one of the demonstrators told DW. Mali's military junta retaliated through diplomatic means: In a coordinated step with its close allies Niger and Burkina Faso – both also governed by juntas — all three Sahel Alliance (AES) states withdrew their ambassadors from Algeria. Algiers quickly reciprocated. A day later, both Mali and Algeria closed their airspace to each other's aircraft. While it might have been an easy choice for Burkina Faso to stand in solidarity with its ally, the decision might have been more difficult for Niger. "From a Nigerien perspective, this is not a good development, because they have just improved their ties with Algeria," said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), which is affiliated with the German conservative party CDU. "Algeria had made an effort for Niger, especially because the relations with Mali are this bad. Algeria's state oil company Sonatrach has signed a contract in Niger, from which Niger profits economically," Laessing told DW. Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop accused Algiers of supporting terrorism. "The council of AES leaders consider the destruction of the drone operated by Malian armed forces as a hostile action against all AES members and a perfidious step that in a way promotes terrorism and destabilization of the region," Diop told DW. Algeria denied any wrongdoing in the drone incident and accused Mali of trying to redirect blame for its internal problems. "The junta of putschists ruling in Mali is vainly attempting to make our country a scapegoat for the setbacks and woes of which the Malian people are paying the heaviest price," Algeria's foreign ministry said in a statement. Mali-Algerian relations have deteriorated since 2023 Mali and Algeria share a common history of French colonial oppression. Since they became independent in 1960 and 1962 respectively, relations between both countries have been through rough patches. Security on the 1,300-kilometre-long (808-mile-long) border has always been a contentious issue. In 2015, after three years of fighting between Mali's army and northern rebels, Algeria successfully mediated a peace contract — the Algiers Accords. However, both the security in Northern Mali and relations with Algeria have remained fragile — especially after Mali's military coups in 2020 and 2021. Amid new clashes between the Algiers Accords signatories, reports of atrocities committed by Malian soldiers and their new brothers in arms, Russian Wagner mercenaries, surfaced. According to Laessing, relations further deteriorated in late 2023, when Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hosted Mahmoud Dicko, a powerful imam from Mali's Tomboctou region, whom the military junta perceives as a threat due to his popularity. "This was seen as a provocation in Bamako. Mali subsequently terminated the Algiers accords. Algeria retaliated verbally. This way, the crisis aggravated — and because of that, we've already been on a level of crisis," Laessing said. Malian analyst Paul Oula told DW that the diplomatic relations between Mali and Algeria lack trust. "Today, Malian authorities completely disapprove of the Algerian authorities' interference in the management of the security crisis in Mali," Oula said. At the same time, Oula believes that the falling out is of greater benefit to Morocco. Rabat has increased its footprint in the Sahel region over the last years, offering the landlocked AES countries a connection to maritime trade without having to rely on ECOWAS countries. Ways to resolve the tensions Outside actors are worried that further hostilities between Mali and Algeria could be detrimental for the region's already fragile security. The West African economic bloc ECOWAS, where the three AES states had been members before their wave of coups, appealed in a statement to both sides to "de-escalate the tension, foster dialogue and use regional and continental mechanisms to settle differences". Mohamed Si Bachir, political analyst and professor at the National School of Political Science (École Nationale Supérieure de Sciences Politiques) in Algiers, says there are ways to defuse the crisis. "We could use the social and diplomatic leverages," Si Bachir told DW. "In diplomacy, Algeria maintains good capabilities and has long experience in regional conflicts. We can assume that this machine is starting up and going in search of a solution." But also the personal relations between communities on both sides of the Algerian-Malian border could help to bridge the gaps. While neither side seems to benefit from the fallout, it remains to be seen whether Mali and Algeria will be able to summon enough political will to settle their dispute.
