Algeria and Mali restore diplomatic ties following yearlong rift

Relations begin to thaw as both countries reinstate ambassadors and reopen airspace closed to each other since April 2025.Published On 11 Jul 2026More than a year after a diplomatic fallout, relations between Algeria and Mali are beginning to thaw, with both countries reinstating their ambassadors and reopening their airspace to one another.Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced on Saturday that the country’s ambassador would return to Mali, a day after Algiers fully reopened its airspace to civilian and military aircraft travelling to and from its southern neighbour.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Mali’s Tuareg rebels say Russian fighters must withdraw from countrylist 2 of 3Mali crisis: Who are the key leaders to know about?list 3 of 3The Mali crisis could have a dangerous spillover effectend of listIssa Ousmane Coulibaly, spokesperson for Mali’s military government, confirmed in a statement that Bamako had taken reciprocal measures.Relations between the two African nations deteriorated in April last year after Algeria said it had shot down a Malian surveillance drone for violating its airspace. Bamako disputes this, saying the drone was downed within its own borders.The fallout between Algeria and Mali has jeopardised security in the Sahel region. Mali is a member of the Sahel-states" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="4056" data-entity-type="organization">Alliance of Sahel States (AES), along with Burkina Faso and Niger. Both Ouagadougou and Niamey also withdrew their ambassadors to Algeria in April last year in solidarity with their ally.The AES has experienced a surge in attacks by armed groups linked to the ISIL (ISIS) group and al-Qaeda in recent years. Many analysts argue that such groups were able to establish a foothold in the Sahel partly because of the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.The ousting of Gaddafi left a power vacuum that has been exploited by armed groups. Vast stockpiles of weapons belonging to forces loyal to him were looted and are believed to have been used by those groups.