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Rabat — Over a thousand Malians protested in Bamako on Saturday against what they perceive as “an act of aggression by Algeria.”
The protest came after Mali’s government accused Algeria of shooting down one of its military drones over Malian territory last week.
AFP documented Saturday’s protest in Bamako, quoting National Youth Council of Mali President Sory Ibrahim Cisse to AFP, who accused Algeria of terrorism.
“I came to support our authorities in the face of Algeria’s aggression. Algiers has always played a double game with Mali. We simply want a normal and honest relationship with Algeria to face our common challenge, which is terrorism,” Cisse said.
Earlier this week, on Tuesday, dozens of others gathered in front of the Algerian embassy in Bamako to protest Algeria’s actions towards Mali.
After Mali accused Algeria of shooting down its surveillance drone near their shared border on Sunday, the Sahelian country announced it will recall its ambassador from Algiers.
A similar action was taken by Burkina Faso, Niger, as well as Burkina Faso.
The drone was shot down between March 31 and April 1, and Mali saw the act as a premeditated hostile action by the Algerian regime.
Algeria’s regime acknowledged that it shot down a drone, but claimed that the vehicle violated the country’s airspace.
However, Mali stressed that the drone had never left the Malian borders, calling the act a violation of international law and proof of state-sponsored terrorism.
In response, Algeria expressed “deep regret” over what it considered as an “unjustified alignment” of Niger and Burkina Faso with Mali’s narrative.
It also closed its airspace to all flights to and from Mali, citing repeated drone incursions from its southern neighbor.
