Algeria and Mali banned flights to and from each other's airspace, their governments said on Monday, amid an escalating diplomatic crisis.
An Air Algérie Boeing aircraft © Mena Today
Algeria and Mali banned flights to and from each other's airspace, their governments said on Monday, amid an escalating diplomatic crisis.
On April 1, Algeria's defence ministry said the army had shot down an armed surveillance drone for violating the North African country's airspace near the rural Saharan commune of Tinzaouaten. Mali disagreed, noting that its drone wreckage was found 9.5 kilometres (5.9 miles) south of their shared border.
Algeria's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that data related to the incident, including radar images, showed a violation of Algerian airspace of 1.6 km. It said it was banning flights to and from Mali due to recurrent violations of Algerian airspace.
Mali's transport and infrastructure ministry responded by announcing that it had closed its airspace to all Algerian aircraft due to Algeria's "persistence in sponsoring international terrorism" - without providing examples or evidence of such activity.
Mali and its allies Burkina Faso and Niger recalled their ambassadors from Algeria for consultations over the incident, they said on Sunday. Algeria responded on Monday by recalling its ambassador to Niger and Mali and postponing the start date of its new ambassador in Burkina Faso.
In a joint statement, the three Sahel countries condemned the "irresponsible act by the Algerian regime".
Reporting by Hatem Maher, Menna Alaa and Tarek Amara
The United States has approved the sale of 600 Stinger man-portable air defense missiles (MANPADS) to Morocco, along with associated equipment, in a deal valued at $825 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) confirmed on Tuesday.
France announced on Tuesday it will expel 12 Algerian diplomatic and consular officials and recall its ambassador from Algiers for consultations, in a move that signals a major deterioration in already fragile bilateral relations.
A tragic wall collapse at a secondary school in Mazouna, central Tunisia, has sparked outrage and mourning across the country, exposing deep-rooted issues of infrastructure neglect and government inaction.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.