Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum is in Algiers. He left Niamey on Monday afternoon, at the head of a large delegation of five ministers, including foreign affairs and defense. Mohamed Bazoum will meet several times with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on “Bilateral relations between the two countries”. In the context of profound changes in the fight against Islamist terrorism in the Sahel, this shift takes on a certain diplomatic nuance.
As Niamey prepares to welcome Takuba’s base, the new international working group responsible for taking over from Barkhane against the Sahelian jihadists, the Algerian journey of Mohamed Bazoum eagerly awaits the security plan.
During most recent G5 Sahel summit On Friday, July 9, Mohamed Bazoum showed himself very close to France’s positions on the subject, while the latter does not hide his desire to see Algeria re-engage in the region.
Since 2015 and the signing of Algiers’ agreements to try to resolve the Malian conflict, President Abdelmajdid Tebboune has always refused to intervene militarily in the Sahel. But he recently said that his country will never allow the southern border of his country to become a “refuge for jihadists”.
Last week, the government looked again Ramtane Lamamra’s return to foreign affairs, a veteran of Algerian multilateral diplomacy, heavily involved in Africa. The resumption of control of the Sahelian file by those already holding this position in 2015 during the Mali crisis could open the door to greater cooperation between Algeria and the G5 Sahel.
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