Algeria closes airspace to Mali amid escalating tensions

Diplomatic crisis unfolds as airspace violations trigger retaliatory measures 

ALGIERS, Algeria (MNTV) – Algeria has closed its airspace to all flights to and from Mali, marking a significant escalation in tensions between the two neighboring countries, according to an official statement released by the Algerian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

The closure follows repeated violations of Algerian airspace by Malian military aircraft, with Algeria condemning these actions as a “serious provocation” undermining its sovereignty. 

This decision came shortly after Algeria’s military reported downing a drone that had entered its airspace from Mali.

Malian authorities, however, denied the accusations, asserting that the drone had been shot down over its own territory.

In response, the Sahel Alliance, which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, recalled its ambassadors from Algeria, calling the airspace closure a “harm to fraternal relations” between the countries. 

Meanwhile, Algeria also recalled its ambassadors to Mali and Niger, highlighting the diplomatic rift.

The airspace closure immediately disrupted direct flights between Algeria and Mali, especially Air Algérie services between Algiers and Bamako, and could affect other regional air traffic routes.

This diplomatic crisis has exacerbated already strained relations between Algeria and Mali’s transitional government, which withdrew from the 2015 peace agreement brokered by Algeria and has increasingly aligned itself with Russia through the Wagner Group.

Experts believe this dispute represents one of the most serious diplomatic rifts between the two nations in decades, with the future of their relations uncertain amid escalating security concerns in the Sahel region.