BAMAKO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Mali on Monday announced the decision to close its airspace to all civilian and military aircraft traveling to and from Algeria, effective immediately and until further notice, as tension escalates between the two countries after Algeria shot down a Malian drone.

The Malian Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said that the move was in response to Algeria's decision to take the same action, condemning Algeria for its "continued support of international terrorism."

Just hours earlier, Algeria's Ministry of National Defense decided to ban all air traffic between the two countries starting Monday, citing "repeated airspace violations" by Mali.

Also on Monday, Algeria's Foreign Ministry of Foreign also announced the recall of its ambassadors to Mali and Niger and the postponement of the deployment of its new ambassador to Burkina Faso.

In recent years, relations between Mali and Algeria have been tense, with Mali repeatedly accusing Algeria of "harboring terrorist groups along their shared border."

In January 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), after being sanctioned by the bloc over military coups.

On July 6, the three countries held the first summit of the "Alliance of Sahel States" in Niamey, the capital of Niger, and announced the establishment of the Confederation of Sahel States. Enditem

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