Malian Politician Choguel Maïga Calls For Reconciliation With Algeria

Former Malian Prime Minister Choguel Maïga, currently imprisoned, expressed his concern over the deteriorating relations between Algeria and Bamako, and called for reconciliation between the two countries and for elevating bilateral relations to the level desired by the “two brotherly peoples”. He thus joins Cheikh Mahmoud Dicko, a prominent figure in the Malian opposition, who has attacked the coup authorities in Bamako on more than one occasion.

In his letter dated January 14, addressed to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, which he posted on his “X” account, he stated that he had followed “with great interest and deep concern the multiple interventions and positions taken by representatives of our two states over the past few years.”

The former Malian official, currently imprisoned, spoke of what he considered “a misunderstanding, characterized by controversy and disagreement,” that marked bilateral relations in international forums, and noted that they do not rise to the level of bilateral relations, pointing out that “this situation has reached an unprecedented and astonishing level, harming the security of our two brotherly and friendly peoples, and the good neighborly relations that have characterized our relationship from ancient times until today.”

Choguel Maïga (born in 1958) is a seasoned Malian politician and the leader of the “Patriotic Movement for Renewal” party. He served as the interim Prime Minister of Mali from June 7, 2021, to November 20, 2024. He also held several high-ranking positions in Mali, including Minister of Industry and Trade from 2002 to 2007, and subsequently as Minister of Digital Economy, Information, and Communications from 2015 to 2016.

Choguel Maïga also expressed his rejection of the continuation of the current state of relations between Algeria and Mali, a situation he said does not serve the current situation in his country, especially in northern Mali, where armed opposition is active in the face of violence from the regular army supported by Russian mercenaries, which has caused the loss of dozens of civilian lives since the ruling military regime in Bamako abandoned the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed in Algiers in 2015 under the auspices of both Algeria and the United Nations.

The call by the Malian opposition politician for reconciliation between Algeria and Bamako comes at a time when Mali’s military ruler, General Assimi Goïta, spoke of an alternative project to the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed in Algiers between the central authority and the Azawad movements in the north, indicating preparations for the launch of a “Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation,” the details of which have not yet been revealed.

These movements coincide with the Malian opposition organizing itself into the “Coalition of Forces for the Republic,” led by Cheikh Mahmoud Dicko, who has chosen Algeria as his voluntary exile. In a video released at the end of last December, Dicko called on the coup authorities to return to constitutional order and open a national dialogue that includes all marginalized political actors in the southern neighbor, under the threat of “ending the current situation.”

Cheikh Mahmoud Dicko is a respected religious figure in Mali, enjoying immense popularity. He is credited with overthrowing the rule of former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in 2020, through widespread popular protests led by Dicko with his fiery speeches, delivered from mosques, where he works as an imam.