Algeria, Mali ban flights amid escalating diplomatic crisis

TUNIS - Algeria and Mali banned flights to and from each other's airspace, their governments said on Monday, amid an escalating diplomatic crisis.

On April 1, Algeria's defence ministry said the army had shot down an armed surveillance drone for violating the North African country's airspace near the rural Saharan commune of Tinzaouaten.

Mali disagreed, noting that its drone wreckage was found 9.5 kilometres (5.9 miles) south of their shared border.

Algeria's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that data related to the incident, including radar images, showed a violation of Algerian airspace of 1.6 km. It said it was banning flights to and from Mali due to recurrent violations of Algerian airspace.

Mali's transport and infrastructure ministry responded by announcing that it had closed its airspace to all Algerian aircraft due to Algeria's "persistence in sponsoring international terrorism" - without providing examples or evidence of such activity.

Mali and its allies Burkina Faso and Niger recalled their ambassadors from Algeria for consultations over the incident, they said on Sunday.

Algeria responded on Monday by recalling its ambassador to Niger and Mali and postponing the start date of its new ambassador in Burkina Faso.

In a joint statement, the three Sahel countries condemned the "irresponsible act by the Algerian regime."