In the Sahel Region, specifically in Mali, diplomatic tensions are escalating between Bamako and Algiers.

This latest escalation follows comments by Algerian Foreign Minister, Amed Attaf, who stated that the military option has failed in the fight against terrorism and that a political solution is needed.

In a statement released last Wednesday, Malian authorities described these remarks as interference in their internal affairs.

Algeria shares around 1,400 km of borders with its southern neighbour. Mali, a poor, landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, was rocked by two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021.

This political crisis goes hand in hand with a serious security crisis that has been underway since 2012 and the outbreak of independence and jihadist insurgencies in the north.