Algeria’s military announced on Tuesday that it had shot down an armed drone near the country’s southern border with Mali, marking a rare and potentially significant military escalation in tensions between the two neighbours.

The aircraft, identified as a Turkish-made Akinci combat drone, was intercepted on Tuesday, 1 April, as it entered Algerian airspace near Tin Zaouatine, a remote town that has become a stronghold for Tuareg separatists opposing Mali’s military government.

Algeria has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of the Malian leadership and its military operations in northern regions long plagued by instability.

Among Algeria’s primary concerns is the presence of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, now operating under the Africa Corps, who have been assisting Mali’s armed forces.

Moscow’s growing influence in the Sahel has strained its ties with Algiers, one of its last allies in North Africa.