Mali, Libya, Morocco: Algerian diplomacy on several fronts

CEZAYIRLI

Contributor
Messages
1,109
Reactions
1,084
Nation of residence
United States of America
Nation of origin
Algeria

Mali, Libya, Morocco: Algerian diplomacy on several fronts

Observers predicted it and they were not wrong. The return of Ramtane Lamamra as head of the Foreign Ministry has been accompanied by a resurgence of all-out activity in Algerian diplomacy.

Appointed in early July as Minister of Foreign Affairs to replace Sabri Boukadoum, Lamamra wasted no time.
download (2).png

With the meeting of Libya's neighbors which ended on Tuesday, August 31 in Algiers, the Algerian foreign minister is on his fifth major issue in just two months.

On Libya where Algeria has struggled to play its role, Lamamra declared: "all the texts, including the conclusions of the Berlin conference, affirm the possibility for Libya to benefit from the Algerian experience in this matter. ".

The ministers present at the meeting were received on Tuesday by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who declared that "the countries neighboring Libya are the most concerned about stability in this country, because the instability would impact them directly".

This meeting brought together the foreign ministers of Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Niger, Chad and the Republic of Congo, in addition to the Special Envoy of the UN SG for Libya, Jan Kubis, the SG of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye.

"We want Libya to regain its rightful place among the Maghreb, African and Arab countries," he added.

Black beast of Morocco, Lamamra has increased back and forth between Algiers and Tunis in the midst of the political crisis in this country and also as part of the mediation in the dispute around the Ethiopian Renaissance dam, which led the Algerian minister to Addis Abeba, Khartoum and Cairo. The Algerian initiative is a first in twenty years since mediating the armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea 20 years ago. In two months, he managed to reposition Algeria in cases where it was not present.

During this period, Algeria also faced the multiplication of "hostile acts" by Morocco, leading to the breakdown of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

It was again Lamamra who made the announcement on Tuesday, August 24. The novelty this time in the tense relations between Algeria and Morocco, is the latter's attempt to train its new Middle Eastern ally, Israel, jointly criticizing Algeria for an alleged "rapprochement with Morocco". Iran ”.

On August 27, Ramtane Lamamra traveled to Bamako, where he met the transitional authorities as part of the assessment of the reconciliation process in Mali.

On August 30, he was able to meet in Algiers the foreign ministers of 7 countries neighboring Libya (Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Republic of Congo), in addition to representatives of three international and regional organizations.

The meeting rekindled hopes for a definitive solution to the Libyan crisis. Algerian diplomacy is definitely making a comeback in this case, from which parties tried to exclude it a few months ago.

On the Malian crisis, Lamamra's visit to Bamako is part of Algeria’s efforts to complete the reconciliation process in that country.

The situation in Mali has always been a priority for Algerian diplomacy. Sabri Boukadoum visited less than two months after his appointment, a visit followed by several others.

Lamamra also visited this country less than two months after his return to the helm of Algerian diplomacy and is certain that he will return there as many times as is necessary.

Continuity of efforts for reconciliation in Mali
In Mali, both the authorities of the transition and the observers see in it the constancy of Algeria's commitment to the resolution of the crisis in this neighboring country, but agree on the fact that the weight of Lamamra could make the difference.

He is "a heavyweight in Algerian diplomacy, specializing in crisis resolution as the former African Union commissioner for peace and security. His actions should enjoy more media coverage, "said a Malian source, quoted by the French newspaper L'Opinion.

On this specific issue, the Algerian diplomat has an additional advantage: his proximity to his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop, like him from the National School of Administration in Algiers.

“They know each other well. Abdoulaye Diop negotiated the inter-Malian peace agreements in Algiers when Ramtane Lamamra was already Minister of Foreign Affairs and piloted this dialogue, in the mid-2010s ”, testifies a Malian official quoted by the same source.

The two men also have the same vision. They want a faster implementation of the Algiers peace agreement to accelerate inter-Malian reconciliation. The man chosen for this mission is also an Algerian. This is Ambassador Boudjemaa Delmi, installed by Lamamra and Diop during this visit as head of the agreement monitoring committee.

Across Mali, the whole situation in the Sahel is of concern to the Algerian authorities. On August 10, Ramtane Lamamra hosted a conference on the situation in the region, after France announced it was reducing its military presence.

Algeria has several levers, such as the reactivation of the Fusion and Liaison Unit, a mechanism for analyzing security intelligence in the Sahel, the Cemoc (Joint Operational Military Staff Committee) bringing together Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, and based in Tamanrasset.

Even a possible participation of the Algerian army in the UN peacekeeping mission (Minusma) is seen in Mali as a "good idea", to use the term of a former Malian minister. Officially, the option is not on the table, but nothing prevents it after the amendments made to the Algerian constitution in November 2020.
 

Follow us on social media

Top Bottom