Mali and Niger have reignited long-standing claims that Algeria is actively fueling terrorism across the Sahel by providing safe havens, logistical backing, and political shelter to armed factions operating south of its borders.
During a high-level security forum in Senegal, officials from Bamako and Niamey stopped short of directly pointing fingers at Algiers. Yet their carefully worded remarks closely mirrored earlier accusations from Mali’s government, which has repeatedly accused Algeria of serving as a crucial rear base for terrorist and separatist movements in northern Mali.
“Certain neighboring nations are currently acting as hosts to terrorist organizations, offering them support, or even welcoming hostile forces that launch attacks on our territory,” warned Mali’s Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, in a statement to international media.
Security experts trace the origins of today’s Sahel insurgency back to Algeria’s brutal civil war in the 1990s. They argue that militant factions, either defeated or forced out of Algeria, regrouped and moved southward instead of dissolving. Organizations like al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) evolved from Algeria’s Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), itself a breakaway faction of the Armed Islamic Group that clashed with Algerian authorities during the so-called “Black Decade.” For years, these groups were led by Algerian operatives who relocated their operations into Mali and the wider Sahara under mounting military pressure in their home country.
Rumors of covert cooperation between Algerian security forces and certain Sahel-based terrorist factions have circulated widely.
Mali has publicly condemned Algeria’s alleged ties to terrorism at the United Nations, issuing formal statements and diplomatic notes after relations sharply deteriorated last year. The dispute stems primarily from northern Mali, where armed groups—including terrorist factions and Tuareg-led movements—have waged conflict against the Malian state for over a decade. Bamako contends that these groups exploit porous borders and Algeria’s lenient approach to militants operating near its southern frontier.
Last September, Mali’s Prime Minister, Abdoulaye Maïga, addressed the United Nations General Assembly, declaring that Algeria had shifted from being a counterterrorism ally to what he termed an “exporter of terrorism” into the Sahel.
These accusations gained momentum after Algerian forces intercepted and shot down a Malian military drone near the border in late March. Bamako framed the incident as a calculated move to shield terrorist leaders targeted by Malian military operations.
In retaliation, Mali, along with its allies Niger and Burkina Faso, withdrew their ambassadors from Algiers and released a joint statement accusing Algeria of sponsoring terrorism.
Niger has consistently aligned itself with Mali in confrontations involving Algeria. Following the drone incident, Nigerien authorities backed Mali’s diplomatic response and reaffirmed their solidarity against Algerian-backed terrorism. Niger’s military leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has previously accused several foreign governments of funding attacks against his country. Niamey has also supported Bamako in its standoff with Algiers, which many in the Sahel now view as a destabilizing influence.
For now, the debate over Algeria’s involvement underscores a growing divide in West African security policy. Regional military leaders argue that counterterrorism efforts cannot succeed as long as neighboring states continue to engage in what they perceive as enabling or destabilizing behavior.
