Assahifa English has obtained exclusive information from sources close to the Malian army confirming that Algeria deliberately shot down a drone belonging to Mali’s armed forces with "premeditated hostile intent." The sources emphasized the credibility of the statement issued last Sunday by the Malian government through its official spokesperson, General Abdoulaye Maïga.
The same sources confirmed that the drone was preparing to strike what they described as “high-level terrorist leaders” in northern Mali. These individuals, the sources stated, were armed and plotting attacks against the Malian army in the border region of Tinzaouaten. One of the sources added that Mali had carefully chosen its language in the official communiqué, which accused Algeria of downing the drone “in the interest of extremist armed groups.”
The sources further stressed that Algeria is "fostering international terrorism," asserting that the drone was downed after "terrorist elements" called upon the Algerian military for protection. They pointed out that the Algerian regime had issued direct orders to its forces to shoot down the drone over Malian airspace in a bid to shield individuals believed to be part of terrorist networks operating under the protection of Algerian intelligence.
According to Assahifa English sources, Algeria is leveraging these elements to maintain strategic influence over northern Mali and keep the Malian state constrained by Algiers’ broader regional agenda.
The transitional government in Bamako officially announced on Sunday that preliminary investigations into the incident had concluded that the drone was “deliberately brought down by hostile action from the Algerian regime” inside Malian territory. This prompted the government to recall its ambassador from Algiers and file a complaint with relevant international bodies.
In its official statement, the Malian government said the drone, which was on a reconnaissance mission and had identified a meeting of “high-ranking terrorist elements,” lost contact while still flying over Malian territory. Debris from the aircraft was later found only 9.5 kilometers from the Algerian border, contradicting Algeria’s claims that the drone had penetrated its airspace by two kilometers.
The statement noted that the drone, registered as TZ-98D, dropped vertically in a sudden manner—evidence that it had likely been hit by surface-to-air or air-to-air missiles. The government therefore launched an immediate investigation to determine the full circumstances of the incident.
Initial findings concluded that Algeria acted with "premeditated hostile intent,” adding that all technical data regarding the drone’s flight path confirmed it never left Malian airspace. Both the point where contact was lost and the location where the wreckage was found lie within Mali’s national borders.
In response, Mali withdrew its ambassador from Algeria, protesting what it described as “blatant hostility” by the Algerian regime. Bamako also announced it would formally lodge a complaint with international institutions, accusing Algeria of committing an "act of aggression" against the security and stability of a sovereign state—a move Mali considers an unprecedented escalation in bilateral relations.
Mali further accused Algeria of “sponsoring international terrorism,” calling on the regime to “cease exporting threats and regional instability” and urging it to adopt a responsible stance that supports peace and development in the Sahel.
Algeria, for its part, responded with a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling Mali’s accusations “pathetic” and reiterated that the drone was shot down after it violated Algerian airspace. The response was followed by a Defense Ministry directive announcing the closure of Algerian airspace to all Malian military aircraft as of Monday, April 7.
Mali also closed its airspace to Algerian aircraft in a reciprocal move, marking a dramatic escalation and placing bilateral relations at one of their most tense and precarious points in recent memory.
