The Algerian ambassador to Mali has officially returned to Bamako, marking the end of a more than two-week-long diplomatic standoff between the two neighboring nations, official sources said on Saturday, as reported by AFP.

The return of the Algerian ambassador comes after both diplomats, the Algerian ambassador to Mali and the Malian ambassador to Algeria, were recalled to their respective countries on December 22.

The reciprocal measures were initiated following rising tensions, as the Malian foreign minister accused Algiers of engaging in "unfriendly acts" and "interference" in Mali's "internal affairs."

Mali specifically accused the Algerian diplomat of holding meetings with Tuareg separatists without involving Bamako in the discussions. The recall of the ambassadors created a diplomatic impasse that has now seemingly been resolved with the return of the Algerian envoy to Bamako.

The situation escalated after Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hosted an influential Malian religious and political figure, Imam Mahmoud Dicko, in Algiers.

Imam Dicko is known for openly expressing his disagreements with the Malian junta that has been in power since 2020. The meeting added fuel to the diplomatic fire, prompting the reciprocal recalls.

Mediation of efforts

Algeria has played a pivotal role as the main mediator in efforts to bring peace to northern Mali. The mediation efforts were initiated following an agreement signed in 2015 between the Malian government and predominantly Tuareg armed groups.

However, the region has witnessed renewed fighting between separatists and Mali government troops since August, ending eight years of relative calm.

The conflict reignited as both sides sought to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers.

Following a recent uptick in hostilities, the Malian army announced that it is redeploying troops toward the rebel-controlled northern town of Kidal, AFP reported citing two security officials. 

"As part of the reorganization of our arrangements in the north, we have begun the redeployment of our forces in the northeastern region of Kidal," an anonymous Malian military official told AFP. 

The Malian army confirmed a day prior to the decision that new fighting had broken out in the north between the army and armed separatist groups, the latest in a series of attacks against the army in the West African country.

Intense fighting

The army reported on social media "intense fighting" against "terrorists" in the early hours of the morning, in the area of Bamba, which separatists claimed to have taken control of.

The separatists said they had seized the northern locality in a social media message published on behalf of the Permanent Strategic Framework, which is dominated by the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).

The CMA is an alliance of predominantly Tuareg groups seeking autonomy or independence from the Malian state.

Since the end of August, the north of Mali has seen a resumption of hostilities and an intensification of attacks against the Malian army.

Moreover, on September 7, the army was attacked in Bamba in an operation claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked alliance, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM).