Bamako and Algiers have agreed to reopen airspace and return ambassadors after a dispute over a drone incident.
Algeria and Mali have announced the restoration of diplomatic ties after a year-long rift that erupted when Algiers shot down a Malian military drone near their shared border.
Malian government spokesman Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said Friday that the West African nation will allow its ambassador to return to Algiers as part of measures aimed at “renewal of cooperative and friendly relations” with Algeria.
Bamako has also decided to re-open its national airspace to all civil and military flights from or to Algeria, Coulibaly said in statement.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed on Saturday that the country’s ambassador will return to Mali.
Tebboune said the decision reflected his “A firm and firm commitment to return the relations between Algeria and Mali to their original historical direction, on the basis of mutual respect,” according to a statement published by the government news agency APS.
Relations between the two African nations soured in April 2025 after Algeria said it shot down a Malian drone for allegedly violating its airspace. Bamako denied the accusations and said that the plane was destroyed in Mali.
Tensions have been rising since Mali pulled out of a 2015 peace deal with northern separatist groups brokered by Algeria. Malian authorities later accused Algiers of supporting armed groups, a claim the Algerian government denied.
The diplomatic crisis spread to the partners of the Union of Sahel States (AES) Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, who also recalled their ambassadors from Algeria during the crisis.
In recent months, however, Algeria has moved to mend relations with its southern neighbors. In February, Niger agreed with Algeria to restart work on the long-delayed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a project designed to transport Nigerian gas through Niger and Algeria to Europe.
Algeria, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, all former French colonies, have strained relations with France over alleged interference. The AES countries have accused Paris of failing to respect their mandate and supporting fighters running a long-running jihadist insurgency in the Sahel.
Algeria’s relationship with Paris has also been troubled by historical grievances, France’s stance on Western Sahara and migration disputes.
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