Algeria has issued a strong response to the Sahel Coalition's communiqué accusing it of supporting terrorism, following the downing of a Malian aircraft near its southern border. The Algerian government said it had taken note, «with great dismay», of the statements made by Mali's transitional government and the Council of Heads of State of the Sahel Union. Algeria described the accusations as «serious» and dismissed them as «false claims» calling them «desperate attempts to divert attention from the colossal failure of the ongoing coup project, which has plunged Mali into a vortex of insecurity, instability, destruction, and deprivation». The statement sharply criticized Mali's ruling military council, referring to it as a «coup junta» that has failed «on all fronts—politically, economically, and in terms of security». The Algerian Foreign Ministry further asserted that «the primary and most dangerous threat facing Mali today is the coup plotters' inability to effectively and genuinely combat terrorism», adding that they have gone so far as to resort to mercenaries—«a longstanding burden on the African continent in its contemporary history». Algeria reaffirmed that the downed Malian drone had violated its airspace. In a communiqué notably lacking diplomatic tone, Algeria also expressed «deep regret» over the «unconsidered alignment» of Niger and Burkina Faso with what it called Mali's «flimsy arguments». It went on to condemn «the disgraceful and unjustified language used against Algeria», which it «vehemently rejects». The statement concluded by announcing that Algeria would apply the principle of reciprocity: it has recalled its ambassadors from Mali and Niger for consultations and postponed the assignment of its new ambassador to Burkina Faso.
