By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have recalled their ambassadors from Algeria in response to the downing of a Malian drone last week.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), in a social media post on Sunday, blamed Algeria for the downing, describing it as an “irresponsible act” that flouted international law.
“This act flies in the face of the historic and fraternal bonds shared between the peoples of the AES Confederation and Algeria,” the alliance stated.
The AES added that it considered the targeting of the drone as an “act of aggression towards the entire confederal space … [and] has decided to recall its ambassadors stationed in Algiers”.
Mali’s Prime Minister, General Abdoulaye Maïga, took to the Malian Foreign Ministry’s social media to refute Algerian claims that the drone had strayed more than two kilometres into Algerian airspace.
Maïga asserted that the incident “proves, if proof were needed, that the Algerian regime is backing international terrorism”.
Mali has summoned Algeria’s ambassador and announced its exit from a 15-year-old regional military cooperation group that includes Niger, announcing plans to lodge a formal complaint with international bodies over the incident.
Since taking power through military coups, the ruling juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have distanced themselves from the long-established Economic Community of West African States, opting instead to form their own security pact, the Alliance of Sahel States in September last year.
