Source : RFI
The complaint relates to the downing of a Turkish-made military drone on the night of 31 March near Tinzaouaten, in the Kidal region.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Mali’s Ministry of Territorial Administration alleges Algeria shot down its drone to hinder Mali’s military campaign against armed rebels.
It said the incident violated the principle of non-use of force, adding that Algeria had refused to provide evidence that the drone entered Algerian airspace.
The ministry called the destruction of the drone a “blatant aggression” and “the culmination of a series of hostile acts and malicious actions, repeatedly denounced by the Malian authorities”.
Algeria had yet to publicly respond.
Immediately after it shot down the drone, the Algerian army said the aircraft had entered Algerian airspace near the border town of Tin Zaouatine – a stronghold for Tuareg separatists opposed to Mali’s government. It did not specify who the drone belonged to.
A few days later, the military-led juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger recalled their ambassadors from Algeria in protest.
Algeria then closed its airspace to flights to and from Mali and recalled its ambassadors from Mali and Niger, describing the allegations as “serious and unfounded”.
According to the Algerian Ministry of National Defence, radar data proves the drone had violated Algerian airspace near Tin-Zaouatine.