The International Court of Justice announces that it has received a petition from Mali against Algeria
The International Court of Justice announced on Friday that it had received a petition from Mali against Algeria, accusing it of shooting down one of its drones months ago.
The court explained in a statement that Mali, in its petition, considered Algeria’s actions to be hostile behavior that constituted a clear violation of the principle of non-use of force, an act of aggression, and a violation of international law.
Mali hopes, through its petition, to determine the jurisdiction of the court in this case, which requires the approval of the Algerian government before any action can be initiated.
The International Court of Justice’s announcement that it had received a petition from Mali comes less than a week after Algeria, through its Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, denied that any lawsuit against his country had been filed at the court.
Attaf confirmed during a press conference that Algeria had contacted the International Court of Justice, but informed it that there was no case against it.
On September 4, Mali announced that it had filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice against Algeria, alleging what it described as the deliberate destruction by the Algerian regime of a reconnaissance drone belonging to the Malian Defense and Security Forces.
On April 6, 2025, the Malian authorities announced that they had filed a complaint with international bodies against the Algerian regime for committing acts of aggression following Algeria’s downing of a Malian military drone on the night of March 31 and April 1, 2025.
For its part, Algeria announced at the time that it had shot down an armed reconnaissance drone near the border town of Tinzaouaten in the 6th Military Region, after it had violated its airspace by a distance of two kilometers.
Following the aforementioned tension, the two countries closed their airspace to each other and recalled their ambassadors.
Prior to the current tension, relations between the two countries had already deteriorated in December 2023, following Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s reception of influential Malian cleric Imam Mahmoud Dicko, who had consistently criticized Mali’s ruling Transitional Military Council.
