Sahel bloc recalls envoys from Algeria over downed drone

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, announced on Sunday the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Algeria, following the downing of a Malian drone near the shared border.

In a joint statement released late on April 6, the AES accused Algeria of shooting down the unmanned aircraft and described the incident as a breach of international law, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The alliance also denounced the action as “irresponsible” and “contrary to the historical and fraternal ties” between the peoples of the AES and Algeria.

Mali’s military-appointed Prime Minister, General Abdoulaye Maiga, rejected Algeria’s claim that the drone had entered its airspace by over two kilometres. In a message published by the Malian foreign ministry, he accused the Algerian authorities of sponsoring terrorism and said the government would refer the matter to international institutions.

In addition to recalling its envoy, Mali said it had summoned the Algerian ambassador in Bamako and withdrawn from a separate regional military mechanism, in which Algeria and Niger are members.

The incident marks a further deterioration in relations between Algeria and the AES, which was formed in September 2023 after the three countries—each ruled by military juntas—quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and announced their own regional alliance.

Footage circulated on social media purportedly showed Tuareg rebel groups in possession of the wreckage of a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akinci drone near Tin Zaouatine, a border town in southern Algeria. Mali acquired at least two of the drones from Turkish defence company Baykar in 2024, using them in operations against both separatist groups and jihadist factions linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

Algeria, which had previously acted as a key mediator in Mali’s internal conflicts, has voiced growing concern over Bamako’s military strategy in northern regions and the use of foreign mercenaries.

Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, said the row was unlikely to escalate beyond a diplomatic dispute. “It’s more of a communication war,” he noted, citing the limited control the Malian government holds over the area where the drone crashed. “The wreckage is already in the hands of actors opposed to the state.”

Algeria possesses one of Africa’s most powerful militaries and has traditionally viewed itself as a stabilising force in the region. However, the country’s relations with its southern neighbours have grown increasingly strained amid the shifting alliances of the Sahel’s military-led governments.

By Aghakazim Guliyev