Algerian Mediation in Malian Conflicts: Issues and Perspectives
Algeria played the role of mediator in the Tuareg conflicts of 1991, 2006 and 2012. The mediator has always managed to lead the parties to a peace agreement. However, it is necessary to note the resurgence of the armed conflict. This stalemate in the conflict raises questions about the willingness and strategies of the parties to regulate their conflict through mediation, but also the effectiveness over the long term of the model and methodological approach of the mediator. This study raised and addressed the following issues: what is the Algerian approach in the mediation of the Malian political conflict? Does this mediation approach work? This study is based on field research conducted mainly in Mali from September 2017 to September 2019 with key figures involved in the peace process. The study shows that regulating Mali’s complex conflict requires a transformative mediation that, in addition to the political process, integrates the bottom-up approach. Such a process of mediation must be led by non-state actors, which can depoliticize the conflict and establish effective communication to reach solutions that are acceptable to all communities, including ethnic and religious minorities.