Alliance of Sahel States, Mali condemn Algeria for downing Malian drone

By Oumar Sankare

BAMAKO, Mali (AA) - The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and Mali strongly condemned the destruction of a Malian surveillance drone by Algeria near their shared border in the night between March 31 and April 1.

The incident, described as an “act of aggression” by both parties in a press released Sunday, has rekindled tensions between Mali and Algeria, prompting diplomatic measures and accusations of support for terrorism.

According to the Malian transitional government's press release, the army drone crashed 9.5 kilometers (5.9 miles) south of the Mali-Algerian border near the town of Tinzaouaten following a “hostile action” attributed to Algeria.

“The precise trajectory data prove unambiguously that the aircraft never left Malian airspace,” the statement said, adding that “the guilty silence of the Algerian regime” in the face of requests for an explanation confirmed its responsibility.

The Malian investigation concluded that the drone was brought down by missile fire, preventing the neutralization of a terrorist group planning attacks.

The College of Heads of State of the Alliance of Sahel States shared this analysis and considered the act to be “an aggression aimed at all the Member States of the Alliance” as well as an attempt to “promote terrorism” in the region.

“This incident is all the more serious in that it prevented the neutralization of a terrorist group,” it said.

In response, the AES decided to recall the ambassadors of its member states to Algeria for consultations, while Mali summoned the Algerian ambassador to Bamako, announced its immediate withdrawal from the Joint Military Staff Committee (CEMOC), a regional counterterrorism cooperation mechanism created by Algeria in 2010, and promised to lodge a complaint with international bodies. The transitional government accused Algeria of “sponsoring international terrorism” and “serving as a rear base for terrorist groups.”

“How could the wreckage of the drone have ended up 9.5 kilometers from the Malian border if the aircraft had violated Algerian airspace over a distance of 2 kilometers, as Algiers claims?” said the Malian communique, describing this justification as “absurd.”

The AES and Mali reaffirmed their determination to eradicate terrorism, presented as an “existential struggle.”

“The defense and security forces remain fully mobilized to ensure the security and defend the integrity of the confederal space,” said the College of Heads of State.

Mali stressed that despite the incident, “important terrorist targets were successfully hit” in Tinzaouaten in the hours following the attack under the leadership of Malian President Assimi Goita.

Algeria said earlier this month that it shot down an armed reconnaissance drone after it entered Algerian airspace near Tin Zaouatine, a border town and stronghold for Tuareg separatists opposed to Mali’s government.

The incident marks a new escalation in the already tense relations between Algeria and the Sahel states against the backdrop of a relentless fight against terrorism and the assertion of regional sovereignty by the AES.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in Algeria for an official visit on Sunday after months of political tensions. Mali accuses both countries of supporting terrorism in the Sahel.