Algeria has threatened escalation with Niger after its junta-appointed Prime Minister turned to Morocco for new alliances amid a regional power shift that saw Algeria lose allies in the Sahel.
Algerian pro-state news outlet El Khabar published an article entitled “Will Niger sink into chaos?” in which it warns of “a spiral of violence” after Niger, a traditional Algerian ally, sent its PM, defense, and foreign ministers to Rabat to discuss a Royal plan to give landlock Sahel countries access to the Atlantic Ocean and use Moroccan port infrastructure.
“Niger finds itself facing a risky adventure that could plunge it, as well as the Nigerien people, into a spiral of violence and instability if its leaders choose to follow the adventurous coup d’état of Colonel Assimi Goïta in Mali and the false approaches of the Makhzen,” writes the Algerian media.
Mali, which too distanced itself from Algeria, endorsed King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Alliance.
Both Niger and Mali are under military rule after coups removed elected governments and, in the process, scrapped agreements with Algeria over accusations of meddling in internal affairs.
In January 2024, Mali’s military rulers cancelled the 2015 Algiers Accord, a peace agreement with separatist rebels in northern Mali, accusing signatories of failing to uphold commitments and Algeria of showing hostility.
Algeria also attempted to mediate a solution to the post-coup political crisis in Niger, proposing a six-month transition period. Niger denied the offer.
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