Mali military leaders have renounced a 2015 peace agreement with northern separatist rebels in a televised press conference on Thursday. The blame for failure of the peace agreement has been placed on international mediation and interference, particularly from Algeria, which originally brokered the peace deal back in 2015 in a process known as the “Algiers Process.”
Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga read the press release from the Mali transitional government, highlighting three developments that prompted their pullout from the pact. The resumption of what the statement describes as “terrorism” from some signatories, the failure of international mediation to enforce the pact, and alleged hostilities from Algeria perceived as violations of Mali’s sovereignty were among the reasons given. The government extended an invitation to those former signatories not embroiled in hostile activities to renegotiate a potential new agreement.
Conflict between the Malian government and rebel groups, particularly ethnic Tuareg tribes from the north, dates back to Mali’s independence from French rule in 1960. The 2015 peace agreement was an attempt to reconcile separatists’ aspirations for greater autonomy, the demands for better governance, and the security interests of the Malian state.
The termination of the peace agreement comes on the heels of the 2021 military coup, which was the third coup in Mali within a decade. Colonel Assimi Goïta is currently the head of the military junta in charge, following the deposition of President Bah N’daw. The junta has since faced international condemnation and escalating conflict with jihadists active throughout the Sahel region. Furthermore, recent clashes between Malian military forces and separatist entities only serve to underline the precariousness of the 2015 peace agreement.
Moreover, the withdrawal of the UN mission from Mali, the recall of Mali’s ambassador to Algeria and the discontinuation of military ties with France compound the uncertainty surrounding the pursuit of peace in Mali.