A armed observation drone belonging to Mali that violated Algerian airspace was shot down. Following this incident, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it has banned flights to and from Mali due to repeated violations of Algerian airspace.

The Algerian Ministry of Defense had stated that on April 1st, an armed observation drone violated the country’s airspace near the Tinzaouaten region in the rural Sahara and was shot down, with the wreckage of the drone found 9.5 kilometers south of the border.

The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in a statement yesterday that data related to the incident, including radar images, showed that Algerian airspace was violated by 1.6 km.

The Ministry stated that due to repeated violations of Algerian airspace, they have banned flights to and from Mali. Retaliation from Mali

Mali retaliated against Algeria’s move. In a statement by the Mali Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, it was noted that Mali’s airspace was closed to all Algerian aircraft due to Algeria’s “insistence on supporting international terrorism”.

Furthermore, Burkina Faso and Niger, who have good relations with Mali and Algeria, had summoned their Embassies in Algeria to discuss the drone incident. In response, Algeria called the Ambassadors of Mali and Niger, and delayed the start date of the Ambassador of Burkina Faso in return.