Bamako and Algiers End Disputes Resulting from the Drone Crisis and Resume Official Relations

In a major diplomatic breakthrough that ended a severe dispute in the Sahel region, the Republic of Mali and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria reopened their airspace and exchanged ambassadors, ending a diplomatic rupture that had lasted for a full year.

This step came to put an end to the deep disagreements that erupted between the two countries following Algeria’s downing of an armed drone belonging to Mali near their shared border.

The ruling military council in Mali announced, in an official statement, the return of the Algerian ambassador to the capital, Bamako, in addition to reopening Malian airspace to all civilian and military aircraft operating flights to and from Algeria.

Meanwhile, the Pharos Center for African Studies confirmed the resumption of diplomatic relations and the return of ambassadors to their duties. The roots of the diplomatic crisis between the two neighboring countries date back to April 2025, when both countries recalled their ambassadors and closed their shared airspace following the drone downing incident. At the time, Algerian authorities accused the Malian side of repeatedly violating its airspace, a claim that the Bamako government categorically denied at the time.

Relations between Bamako and Algiers witnessed a gradual deterioration that began nearly two years ago, specifically when Mali’s military council announced the cancellation of a major peace agreement that had been signed in 2015 with the Azawad rebels. Algeria had played the role of the main mediator and guarantor of that agreement, which aimed to end the violent conflict that had continued for more than a decade in northern Mali, where the rebels seek to establish an independent state. The disputes later deepened after the Malian military council accused Algeria of supporting local extremist rebels linked to Al-Qaeda, accusations that Algeria has repeatedly denied.

On the ground and at the military level inside Mali, the diplomatic announcement coincided with the Malian army’s announcement of its success in breaking a severe siege imposed by rebels on the “Anfis” military camp, which is considered a highly important strategic base for the army in the northern regions.

The lifting of the siege came after fierce field clashes between members of the “Azawad Liberation Front” and Malian army forces. The army fought these battles with direct support from its allies in the Russian “Africa Corps,” alongside assistance from armed local militias, enabling it to regain control and secure the military perimeter of the strategic base.