A Mali-registered armed reconnaissance drone that violated Algerian airspace was shot down in Algeria. Following this incident, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Algeria has banned flights to and from Mali due to repeated violations of Algerian airspace.

Algeria’s Ministry of Defense had previously stated on April 1st that an armed reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle had been shot down for violating the country’s airspace near the Tinzaouaten region in the rural Sahara. The wreckage of the drone was reported to have been found 9.5 kilometers south of the border.

In a statement made yesterday, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that data on the incident, including radar images, showed an infringement of 1.6 km into Algerian airspace.

The Ministry announced that it has banned flights to and from Mali due to repeated violations of Algerian airspace. In response to this move by Algeria, Mali retaliated.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Mali stated that all Algerian aircraft have been banned from Malian airspace due to Algeria’s “persistent support for international terrorism.”

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