The rise of terrorist groups in the Sahel, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and other countries, is not a spontaneous phenomenon.
According to Algerian security sources, the Algerian military regime is a key player in maintaining and even orchestrating this chronic insecurity.
Retired Algerian officers, exiled journalists, and former intelligence officials confirm the existence of ties between the Algerian army and certain Sahelian terrorist factions. Documents from the Algerian gendarmerie mention “grey zones” in southern Algeria, where armed groups transit, rearm, or take refuge, under the “active but tolerant surveillance” of military authorities.
Speaking anonymously, one source stated: “There are armed groups operating in Gourma or northern Mali that receive logistical support or intelligence via Algerian territory. These are well-known facts, but politically sensitive to expose.”
According to Western experts and cross-referenced sources, the Algerian military regime exploits terrorism for three main purposes:
- To weaken neighboring governments, especially those seeking independence from Algerian influence.
- To maintain controlled instability in the region, allowing the Algerian army to justify its power, budgets, and dominance over foreign policy.
- To block the emergence of a genuine autonomous Sahelian security and economic alliance, such as the Alliance or Confederation of Sahel States, which would escape its sphere of influence.
Analysts note that the Sahel region is plagued by instability fueled by terrorist groups allegedly affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and other local jihadist factions.
Despite the Algerian regime’s grip on these terrorist groups, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are currently at war with these entities, which are destabilizing their institutions, terrorizing civilian populations, and crippling national development.