Mali and Algeria have reopened their airspace to each other's planes and reinstated their ambassadors, the countries have announced, more than a year after the destruction of a Malian drone strained relations between the neighbours.
Both governments released statements on Friday confirming that reprisal measures in place for the past 15 months would be reversed, with airspace immediately reopening to military and civilian aircraft and envoys preparing to redeploy.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries had been suspended since April 2025, after Mali accused Algeria of shooting down one of its reconnaissance drones in Malian airspace.
Algerian defence officials said the aircraft had strayed into Algeria's airspace near the border, a claim Mali's military government denied.
Mali, joined by its Sahel allies Niger and Burkina Faso, withdrew their ambassadors from Algeria over what they called an "act of aggression towards the entire confederal space".
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".
Broader tensions
Algerian forces shot down the Turkish-made military drone on the night of 31 March 2025 near the town of Tinzaouaten in Mali's Kidal region, which borders Algeria and Niger. The area is a stronghold for Tuareg separatists opposed to Mali's government.
The Algerian defence ministry said radar data showed that the drone had violated Algeria's airspace. The government of Mali claims that Algeria has not provided evidence.
Mali filed a complaint over the incident with the International Court of Justice in September, alleging Algeria shot down the drone to hinder Mali's military campaign against armed rebels.
Bamako also pulled out of a regional joint military staff committee formed by Algeria, Mali, Niger and Mauritania to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts across the Sahel.
Regional heavyweight Algeria once served as a key mediator during more than a decade of conflict between Mali's government and Tuareg rebels.
But the two countries have grown apart since a junta staged coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, putting military personnel in charge of the country's key institutions.
Along with the juntas ruling Burkina Faso and Niger, Mali's military leaders have distanced themselves from former allies including Algeria and France and instead turned to Russia for help in their battle against insurgents.
The Sahel neighbours have been fighting armed militants since 2012, including some allied with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
The insurgency in Mali has intensified in recent months, with jihadists and Tuareg separatists launching coordinated attacks against the government.
