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Mali has filed a case against Algeria at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its northern neighbor of violating international law by shooting down a Malian military drone near the border town of Tinzaouaten.
According to Mali, the incident occurred earlier this year, between 31 March and 1 April, when Algerian forces deliberately downed a reconnaissance drone within Malian territory, calling it an “act of aggression” designed to hinder operations against armed groups in the volatile Kidal region.
“This flagrant aggression is the culmination of a series of hostile acts and clearly demonstrates an unhealthy collusion between terrorists and the Algerian regime,” said Mali’s Ministry of Territorial Administration in a statement. The government claims the strike violates the principle of non-use of force and international norms governing peaceful relations between states.
Algeria has denied the accusations, stating the drone had crossed into its airspace and was armed. The Algerian military maintains it acted in self-defense after tracking the aircraft on radar. The diplomatic fallout has been swift. Both countries have recalled ambassadors and closed airspace to one another, marking a sharp deterioration in already tense relations.
Mali’s regime has also accused Algeria of collusion with armed groups and, in January 2024, scrapped a 2015 Algeria-brokered peace deal with northern separatists. This legal battle at the ICJ reflects deepening distrust between the two nations, both of which remain critical players in the fight against jihadist insurgencies across the Sahel.
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