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, 2025.
In response to this action, the government in Bamako strongly condemned what it described as a “hostile, unfriendly and condescending action” on the part of the Algerian authorities, announcing the implementation of several measures as a result.
A drone belonging to the Armed Forces and Security of the Republic of Mali, registered TZ-98D, crashed on national territory, in Tinzawatene, on the night of March 31st to April 1st 2025. The Malian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization announced in a press release that an investigation had been launched as soon as possible to determine the circumstances surrounding the loss of contact with the aircraft.
According to the same source, the aircraft fell vertically, a situation that strongly suggests hostile action, probably due to ground-to-air or air-to-air missile fire.
The source also reported that a few hours after the incident, the Transitional Government was informed by the media of a communiqué issued by the Algerian Ministry of Defense, which claimed to have destroyed a drone, allegedly in violation of Algerian airspace over a distance of two kilometers.
In addition, analysis of the aircraft’s trajectory data, meticulously recorded in the tracking system, unequivocally demonstrates that the drone never left the airspace of the Republic of Mali. The Malian Ministry insisted that the distance between the point where the link was broken and the location of the wreckage was entirely within Malian national territory, reinforcing the theory that the aircraft was harmless at the time of the incident.
In the interests of transparency and progress in the investigation, the Malian authorities formally requested their Algerian counterparts to provide evidence of the alleged violation of Algerian airspace by a Malian reconnaissance drone. However, after 72 hours, no satisfactory response has been received from the Algerian authorities, deplored the Transition Government.
The Malian investigation concluded that the drone was brought down by missile fire, preventing the neutralization of a terrorist group planning attacks.
In response to this umpteenth provocation from the Algerian regime, 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.”
According to the communiqué: “The College of Heads of State of the AES Confederation condemns in the strongest terms this irresponsible act by the Algerian regime, in violation of international law and contrary to the historic and fraternal relations between the peoples of the AES Confederation and the Algerian people. Furthermore, the AES College of Heads of State decides to recall the Ambassadors of member states accredited to Algeria for consultations”.
The representatives of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, the three countries of the Sahel Alliance, met with their Russian counterpart last Thursday. The discussions focused on strengthening their military and economic cooperation. On this occasion, and during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop accused Algeria of supporting terrorism.
