The Sahel alliance, carried out by the French acronym AES, has denounced drones down on social media and accused them of “irresponsible conduct” in violating international law, a new Arab website reported.
The law “contradicted the historical and sibling relationships between the people of the AES Union and the people of Algeria,” the group said.
Prime Minister Marian Abdoulei Maiga denied claims by the Algerian government that the drone had violated more than two kilometers (1.2 miles) of Algerian airspace in a statement on social media from the Mali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He argued that “this action proves that the Algerian regime sponsors international terrorism whether evidence is necessary.”
The statement’s Mali also summons the Algerian ambassador, withdraws from the 15-year-old regional military group, including fellow AES member Niger, and files a complaint with “international organizations” about the incident.
Development occurs as tensions are rising between southern neighbours, including Algeria and Mali.
After coming to power, the three AES governments left the economic communities of West African countries, a nearly 50-year-old regional bloc known as ECOWAS, and created their own security partnership, the Sahel Alliance, last September.
Some analysts described it as an attempt to justify military government amid a tensioned relationship between coup-related sanctions and neighbors.
Rida Lyamuuri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based policy center in the New South, said the latest word war is unlikely to escalate beyond that. He doubted the Maria government’s ability to conduct a thorough investigation as the crash “occurred in an uncontrolled area, and the rest of the drone was recovered by groups opposing the government.”
“What is said is unlikely to escalate beyond the war of communication. Mali and other AES members will not be involved in Algeria militarily, and vice versa.
Algeria once served as a key mediator during a decade-long conflict between the Mali government and the Tuareg rebels. However, the two countries have been separated since the military regime staged coups in 2020 and 2021, and since they were in charge of Mali’s major institutions.
Algeria has condemned the direction taken by Mali’s new government and the direction that it expanded its efforts to counteract the rebellion in historically unstable parts of northern Mali. Fearing that the conflict had spilled across the border, Algerian officials condemned Mali of using Russian mercenaries and armed drones, and drones were found in the northern border town.
The Mali government did not retrieve drones or videos seen on social media posted by the Northern Rebels. Last year, Mali bought at least two from a Turkish company and used them against armed separatists and fighter jets associated with al-Qaeda and Islamic state groups.
Algeria has one of Africa’s largest military forces and has long been considered regional power, but military leaders in nearby Mali and Niger have defended autonomy and have sought new alliances, including Russia.
MNA