Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Confederation of Sahel States 07/04/2025
The Algerian government took note, with utter dismay, of the statement released by the Malian transitional government, as well as the one issued by the College of Heads of State of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).
In its statement, Mali’s transitional government makes serious accusations against Algeria. Despite their gravity, these false allegations poorly mask an attempt to deflect attention from the obvious failure of what continues to be a coup-based project that has trapped Mali in a spiral of insecurity, instability, devastation and destitution.
Algeria firmly rejects this pattern of malevolent and systematically unfounded attitudes through which the coup leaders currently controlling Mali futilely attempt to scapegoat our country for the failures that the Malian people are suffering from most severely.
The failure of this unconstitutional clique is evident at every level — political, economic and security-related. The only achievements this clique can claim are the fulfillment of personal ambitions at Mali’s expense, ensuring its own survival at the expense of Mali’s protection, and plundering the meager resources of this brotherly country at the expense of its development.
The Malian government’s desperate claims to link Algeria with terrorism are so absurd that they hardly merit attention or response. Indeed, Algeria’s credibility, commitment and resolve in combating terrorism require neither justification nor proof. Instead, the foremost and undoubtedly most decisive threat facing Mali today stems from the putschists’ inability to conduct genuine and effective anti-terrorist fighting, to the point of entrusting its management to mercenaries from which Africa has suffered so much in its recent history.
The downing of a Malian drone by Algerian Territorial Air Defense forces was promptly addressed in an official statement from the Ministry of National Defense. The Algerian Government maintains the terms of this statement and would like to add the following:
First, all data pertaining to this incident are available in the database of the Algerian Ministry of National Defense, specifically the radar images that clearly establish the violation of Algeria’s airspace.
Second, this is not the first instance of a Malian drone violating Algerian airspace, but actually the third such incident within just a few months. The previous two violations took place on August 27, 2024, and December 29, 2024, respectively. All data pertaining to these violations are available in the database of the Ministry of National Defense.
Third, with respect to the incident that took place during the night of March 31 to April 1, 2025, all data available in the database of the Algerian Ministry of National Defense, including radar images, establish that an airspace violation occurred at 12:08 AM, extending 1.6 km into Algerian territory. The drone first violated national airspace, then retreated, before returning on an offensive trajectory.
Fourth, the Malian drone’s entry into Algerian airspace, its withdrawal and then its offensive return to the area resulted in it being categorized as a clear and direct hostile maneuver. Accordingly, the Command of the Air Defense Forces of Algeria ordered its destruction,” the same source said.
The Algerian Government deeply regrets the ill-considered alignment of Niger and Burkina Faso with Mali’s false claims.
It also regrets the outrageous and unjustified language used against Algeria, which it roundly condemns and categorically rejects.
The Algerian Government also regrets having to respond in kind and to proceed with recalling its ambassadors to Mali and Niger for consultation, and to defer the appointment of its new ambassador to Burkina Faso.