A view shows the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in The Hague, Netherlands, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Sept 4 (Reuters) – Mali’s transitional government has filed a case against Algeria at the International Court of Justice, accusing its neighbour of aggression for shooting down a Malian military reconnaissance drone, Mali’s Ministry of Territorial Administration said on Thursday.

Mali said Algeria deliberately shot down its drone along their shared desert border during the night of March 31 to April 1 near Tinzaouaten in Mali’s Kidal region, alleging the downing was intended to hinder operations by Malian forces against armed groups.

“This blatant aggression, which the government strongly denounces and whose aim was to hinder the neutralisation of armed terrorist groups by the Malian Armed and Security Forces, is the culmination of a series of hostile acts and malicious actions, repeatedly denounced by the Malian authorities,” it said in a statement.

Mali described the incident as a hostile act and a violation of the principle of non-use of force and added it had repeatedly asked Algerian authorities to provide evidence that the drone violated Algerian airspace but had received no response.

Algeria’s foreign ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

Algeria has previously said its forces shot down an armed surveillance drone that violated its airspace near the border.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck southeastern Afghanistan on Thursday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said, the third tremor in the same region since Sunday, when one of the country’s deadliest quakes in years killed more than 2,200 people.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More