The Algerian government on Sunday banned French military planes from entering its airspace amid an ongoing diplomatic crisis, reported Daily Sabah.
France’s jets regularly fly over Algerian territory to reach the Sahel region of western Africa.
French army spokesman, Colonel Pascal Ianni, told AFP that the Algerian authorities had stopped flights over their territory by two French military planes. He confirmed the decision does not affect the French operations or intelligence missions carried out in the Sahel.
The flight ban followed Algeria’s decision to recall its ambassador to France for consultations as it rejected “inadmissible interference” in its affairs following comments by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Algerian government said it decided to withdraw its ambassador over reports of the French leader’s comments that meddled with the country’s internal affairs.
According to the French daily Le Monde, Macron had commented about the former French colony during a meeting with descendants of figures from the war of independence on Thursday. Notably, Algeria got independence from France back in 1962 after a bloody military struggle.
As per the report, Macron said Algeria was ruled by a political-military system and described the country’s official history as having been totally re-written to something not based on truths.
The report said that the French president had made it clear that he was not referring to Algeria’s society as a whole but to the ruling elite. He said the Hirak movement, which ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power, has weakened the Algerian system.
Macron also spoke about the current politics of Algeria. He said Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune was trapped in a tough political system.
The Algerian government’s flight ban decision also comes amid tension over France government’s decision to reduce the number of visas it grants to Algerian citizens. It announced that the number of visas issued for Algeria will be reduced by 50 percent.
