HIBAPRESS – Shafiq Anouri
Armed attacks have once again struck a number of areas in Mali, after jihadist and separatist organizations recently carried out coordinated and simultaneous military strikes in a number of areas of the country, leaving a state of concern about the future of stability in the Sahel region, which has been facing intertwined challenges for years.
These developments come in a complex regional context, in which the movements of extremist organizations intersect with increasing geopolitical bets, which opens the door to multiple readings of the backgrounds of the military strikes, and the international parties behind them, especially considering the development of the equipment used. The Azawad region of northern Mali, in particular, has witnessed chronic tension for decades, in light of the demands of local Tuareg movements for separation, in addition to the fact that the vastness of the desert terrain makes surveillance difficult, and provides safe havens for terrorist organizations. The entanglement of borders with neighboring countries, foremost of which are Algeria and Mauritania, increases the complexity of the scene, especially with repeated accusations about the exploitation by jihadist and separatist groups of these borders in moving, repositioning and importing weapons. Amid these data, questions are increasing about the parties behind these operations, and whether they are mere isolated movements of separatist and terrorist groups whose paths have crossed, or whether they are part of wider arrangements in which regional and international calculations overlap, including possible roles for foreign powers.
Algeria in the dock
In this regard, the Malian activist from the Azawad region, Al-Hajj Muhammad Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, in a statement to the "HIBAPRESS" newspaper, suggested that Algeria was behind the attacks carried out by terrorist and separatist organizations recently in a number of areas of Mali, especially Kidal. Al-Hajj Muhammad said that Algeria is likely to be behind the attacks, because it has always sheltered the symbols of the fronts and groups, stressing that terrorists do not have any place to resort to in the region, except Algeria or Mauritania. The Malian activist explained that it is known that separatist fronts and terrorist groups are two sides of the same coin, adding that, in addition to Algeria, there is a possibility of another party being involved in what is happening in northern Mali of problems, which is France.
