Mali junta ends 2015 peace deal with separatist rebels

Mali’s junta ended a 2015 peace deal with Tuareg separatist rebels on Thursday in a move that could further destabilise the conflict-torn West African nation.
Tensions between the central authorities and the northern separatists have resurfaced since the military consolidated power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, teamed up with Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and kicked out French forces and U.N. peacekeepers.
In a statement read on state television, the military authorities said it was no longer possible to continue with the agreement due to other signatories not sticking to their commitments and “hostile acts” by chief mediator Algeria.
As a result, it said the so-called Algiers Accord, brokered by the United Nations, was no longer workable.
The government “announces its end with immediate effect,” it said of the agreement.
The CMA, an alliance of rebel groups formed by Mali’s semi-nomadic Tuareg people, said it was not surprised by the decision.