Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced on Sunday the recall of their respective ambassadors from Algeria, which they accuse of having shot down a Malian army drone over Malian territory at the end of March.
On April 1st, Algiers stated that it had downed an armed reconnaissance drone that had entered its airspace. Following an investigation, Mali "concluded with absolute certainty that the drone was destroyed as a result of a premeditated hostile act by the Algerian regime," said Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
"The College of Heads of State of the AES (Alliance of Sahel States) has decided to recall for consultations the ambassadors of member states accredited to Algiers," the three countries said in a joint communiqué.
According to the Malian government, the drone wreckage was located 9.5 kilometers south of the Algerian border.
"The distance between the point where contact with the drone was lost and the location of the wreckage is 441 meters. Both points are located within national territory," the statement reads, adding that the aircraft "fell vertically, which can likely only be explained by a hostile act caused by surface-to-air or air-to-air missile fire."
"In view of the gravity of this unprecedented act of aggression," Mali "strongly condemns this hostile, unfriendly, and condescending act by the Algerian authorities," the document continues.
The Malian authorities also announced several protest measures against Algiers, including the summoning of the Algerian ambassador in Bamako, immediate withdrawal from the Joint Staff Committee (CEMOC)—a Sahel military alliance for combating terrorism—and the filing of a complaint with international bodies "for acts of aggression."
This dispute is the latest in a series of tensions between Mali and the Algerian military junta, whose relations have steadily deteriorated in recent years.
The two countries had already recalled their ambassadors in December 2023 following a diplomatic spat.
Mali has also accused Algeria of maintaining "close ties with terrorist groups," particularly in the border region.
At the end of January 2024, Mali announced the "immediate termination" of the Algiers peace agreement signed in 2015.
