BAMAKO — Mali and Algeria have reopened their airspace to each other’s aircraft and agreed to return their ambassadors, marking a significant easing of diplomatic tensions that had strained relations between the neighboring countries for more than a year.
The Malian transitional government announced on Friday that it would reopen its national airspace to all civilian and military aircraft operating flights to or from Algeria and send its ambassador back to Algiers. Algerian authorities confirmed they would likewise restore air access for Malian flights and return their ambassador to Bamako, effectively ending reciprocal restrictions imposed in 2025.
The diplomatic rift began in April 2025 after Algeria's military shot down a Malian armed drone near the countries' shared border. Algerian officials said the aircraft had violated Algerian airspace on multiple occasions before it was intercepted. Mali rejected that account, maintaining the drone had crashed within its own territory and accusing Algeria of breaching international law.
Both governments subsequently recalled their ambassadors and closed their airspace to each other's aircraft, disrupting regional aviation and adding to broader political tensions in the Sahel.
Relations had already deteriorated following Mali's withdrawal from the 2015 Algiers peace accord, which Algeria had helped broker between Bamako and predominantly Tuareg armed groups in northern Mali. Mali's military-led government has also accused Algeria of supporting armed groups operating in the country's north, allegations Algeria has repeatedly denied.
In its statement, Mali said the decision to restore diplomatic representation and reopen airspace was intended to revitalize cooperation and friendship between the two countries. Algerian state media reported that the reopening of its airspace took effect immediately, allowing all flights to and from Mali to resume.
The diplomatic breakthrough comes as security challenges persist across northern Mali. The Malian armed forces said separately on Friday they had broken a blockade around the strategic military camp at Anéfis following clashes with armed groups. Those developments were announced independently of the agreement with Algeria.
The restoration of diplomatic ties and aviation links removes one of the most visible consequences of the 2025 dispute, although longstanding disagreements over border security, regional mediation and northern Mali remain unresolved. No further bilateral meetings or additional confidence-building measures had been officially announced as of Saturday.
