The confederation of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso declared on Sunday, April 6, their decision to recall their ambassadors to Algeria, attributing this action to Algeria’s alleged downing of a Bamako army drone in northern Mali, close to the Algerian border, at the end of March.
In the aftermath of the destruction of a Bamako army drone in northern Mali, near the Algerian border, the investigation’s findings, released at the end of March, indicated a deliberate hostile action attributed to the Algerian regime.
In a collaborative statement, the three nations declared that “the assembly of heads of state of the AES (Alliance of Sahel States) has resolved to summon the ambassadors of member states stationed in Algiers for consultations.”
Algiers announced that it had successfully intercepted and brought down an armed reconnaissance drone that had entered its airspace.
The authorities in Mali have announced that the wreckage of the drone was found 9.5 kilometers south of the border between the two countries.
The distance from the point where the connection with the aircraft was lost to the wreckage site is 441 metres. The press release indicates, “These two points are entirely located within national territory.”
The two nations had previously summoned their respective ambassadors in the wake of a dispute that occurred in December 2023.
Mali has leveled accusations against Algeria, asserting that it sustains a “close relationship with terrorist groups,” especially in the border region, where the Malian army, alongside its Russian allies, experienced significant losses at the close of July.
