Ghrieb visit signals Algeria’s pragmatic push to rebuild Mali ties

ALGIERS – Algeria is seeking to rebuild its relationship with Mali through a combination of diplomacy, security coordination and economic cooperation, as Algiers looks to regain influence in a Sahel where Russia and other regional powers have reshaped longstanding alliances.

Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb’s visit to Bamako marks a significant step in the effort to restore direct political channels after more than a year of strained relations. It follows a visit by Mali’s Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga to Algiers on August 24 and comes as both governments seek to identify areas of common interest.

Ghrieb’s mission also carries a message from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to Mali’s military ruler, General Assimi Goita, underlining the political importance Algiers attaches to the rapprochement.

Speaking during talks between the Algerian and Malian delegations, Ghrieb said Algeria was ready to reactivate institutional mechanisms for cooperation and described the visit as a new milestone in the historical relationship between the two countries.

He said the two sides should use the talks to examine bilateral cooperation, discuss common regional challenges and establish a joint roadmap covering priority areas. He also pointed to Goita’s expected visit to Algeria as a further opportunity to advance the relationship.

Ghrieb said Algeria was ready to reactivate the Joint High Commission, a mechanism that could help update the legal framework governing bilateral relations and provide an institutional channel for expanding cooperation.

He also highlighted major regional projects, including the Trans-Saharan Highway and the Trans-Saharan Fibre Optic Backbone, as areas where the two countries could deepen cooperation.

The economic dimension is becoming increasingly important to Algeria’s strategy in Africa.

Algiers is looking beyond traditional political and security engagement towards trade, energy, infrastructure, investment and other forms of economic cooperation, seeing them as potential tools for rebuilding relationships and creating interests that can help prevent future confrontation.

Mali and Niger have become two key arenas for this repositioning. While Algeria is seeking to restore communication with Bamako, it is also trying to manage the consequences of strained relations with Niamey through a greater emphasis on practical cooperation and economic projects.

The shift comes as Morocco expands its presence across Africa, including West Africa and the Sahel, through investment, infrastructure, energy, fertiliser, commercial and financial projects.

Algeria is increasingly looking to use its own economy as a lever for its African presence rather than treating economic engagement simply as an extension of diplomacy.

Closer economic cooperation with Mali could give Algeria a gateway to the Malian market and the wider Sahel, while opening opportunities for Algerian companies in energy, transport, infrastructure, trade, services and local development.

Bamako, meanwhile, could benefit from Algerian expertise and capacity in sectors needed to develop its economy and connect inland areas to regional trade routes and markets.

The economic track also has a security dimension. The Sahel continues to face overlapping threats from armed groups, organised crime, smuggling and irregular migration, challenges that are difficult for individual countries to address alone.

Border coordination, intelligence sharing and dialogue between security and military institutions are therefore likely to remain important elements of the renewed relationship.

Algiers appears intent on pursuing a more balanced approach in which security issues do not become a permanent source of political confrontation. Instead, it is seeking to keep diplomatic channels open so disagreements can be managed through institutions rather than escalating into public disputes.

That calculation is particularly relevant in a Mali that has undergone a major realignment since the rupture with Algeria. The military authorities have reduced ties with France and Western powers and strengthened their partnership with Russia, which now plays a major role in Mali’s security landscape.

Algeria wants to recover influence without entering into a direct contest with Moscow. Diplomacy, economic engagement and border cooperation could therefore offer Algiers a way to remain relevant without attempting to displace Mali’s existing security partnerships.

The security situation gives the rapprochement an immediate practical dimension. Jihadist groups continue to operate across large areas, putting pressure on Malian forces and threatening supply and trade routes.

For Algeria, instability in northern Mali carries direct risks because of the countries’ long shared border. An expanding security vacuum could affect Algeria while also worsening instability across Niger, Libya and the wider Sahara.

For Bamako, stronger ties with Algeria could provide additional channels for political dialogue and regional coordination without requiring it to abandon its relationship with Russia.

The resumption of diplomatic representation and the reopening of airspace also provide practical foundations for rebuilding relations, facilitating the movement of officials and businesspeople and allowing government institutions to follow up on bilateral projects.

Ghrieb said the two countries’ “deeply rooted traditions of cooperation” could support future partnerships in areas of common interest, while expressing Algeria’s desire to formulate a shared vision on key issues for submission to the two countries’ leaders during Goita’s planned visit to Algeria.

The renewed engagement is taking place as Algeria seeks to adapt its regional policy to a Sahel where influence is increasingly shaped not only by military and diplomatic relationships, but also by infrastructure, investment and economic partnerships.

A stronger economic relationship with Mali could give Algerian companies greater access to one of the region’s major inland markets while creating additional links between Algeria, Mali and wider trans-Saharan trade routes.