Algeria recalls ambassadors from Mali and Niger amid escalating diplomatic row

Algeria announced Monday the recall of its ambassadors to Mali and Niger “for consultations,” and postponed the deployment of its new ambassador to Burkina Faso. The move follows a joint diplomatic backlash from the three Sahel countries after Mali accused Algeria of deliberately downing a Malian military drone near the shared border in late March.

In a statement, Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “regrets being forced to apply the principle of reciprocity,” expressing “deep regret” over what it called the “unconsidered alignment of Niger and Burkina Faso with Mali’s unfounded accusations.”

On Sunday, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso had recalled their respective ambassadors from Algiers in protest. Mali claimed that its reconnaissance drone was shot down in northern Malian territory near the Algerian border during a military mission.

The Algerian defense ministry had previously confirmed the downing of an armed reconnaissance drone that “violated Algerian airspace,” stating it had acted “swiftly and precisely” without initially identifying the drone’s origin.

Mali’s foreign ministry later labeled the incident as a “deliberate act of hostility by the Algerian regime,” based on its internal investigation.

The three Sahelian nations — all governed by military juntas and now increasingly aligned — jointly condemned the incident, calling it an “unprecedented and aggressive act.” In a coordinated move, they announced the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Algeria and denounced what they termed Algerian aggression.

In response, Mali’s military leadership also recalled the Algerian ambassador in Bamako, announced its withdrawal from the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CEMOC) — a regional counterterrorism coordination body — and vowed to take the matter to international legal institutions.

The diplomatic crisis marks a significant deterioration in relations between Algeria and the so-called Alliance of Sahel States, a bloc formed by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso amid growing regional tensions and increasing reliance on Russian military cooperation.

This development adds to the volatile security and diplomatic climate in the region, raising concerns over the future of joint anti-terror operations and cross-border cooperation in the Sahel.