MALIANS PROTEST ALGERIAN HOSTILITY

Hundreds of people recently gathered in the streets of Bamako, calling for an official apology from Algeria - for shooting down a Malian drone. Like their government, the protesters say the action was hostile and violated Mali’s sovereignty. Algiers says the drone had strayed 2 km into its territory, but Bamako insists it was patrolling 10 km away from the border, on the Malian side. Both countries have recalled their ambassadors, with Mali’s AES allies Burkina Faso and Niger doing the same in solidarity.

Behind the scenes, this is very good news for France - and, by extension, NATO. The three AES countries have explicitly rejected Western military presence and influence, expelling French troops and accusing France and the US of sponsoring terrorism to maintain chaos and access to natural resources. A divided region plays straight into the West’s playbook.