ALGIERS: Algeria said Friday it will oppose what it called a “shameless” complaint from Mali to the UN’s top court accusing it of downing a Malian army drone over Malian soil.
Algiers has said the drone was over its soil when it was hit earlier this year.
The foreign ministry described the complaint, which the International Court of Justice confirmed receiving on Friday, as “clearly an attempt to exploit this august judicial body of the United Nations.”
It said it will notify the court of its “refusal of this procedural ploy,” describing Mali’s move as “too crude to be credible.”
The ICJ said the case will not proceed “unless and until Algeria consents to the Court’s jurisdiction in the case.”
Mali said it had complained to the court after Algerian forces violated its airspace and downed the army drone in a “hostile act” on the night of March 31-April 1.
Algeria says its defense ministry radar data “clearly establish the violation of Algeria’s airspace” by the Malian reconnaissance drone.
The case has sparked a region-wide diplomatic spat, with Mali and allies Burkina Faso and Niger withdrawing their ambassadors from Algiers and Algeria responding in kind.
Further fallout has seen Bamako and Algiers mutually close their airspace to one another, and Mali has accused its northern neighbor of helping to foment regional “terrorism.”
In January last year, Mali’s ruling junta announced the termination of a 2015 peace accord with Tuareg rebels which had been mediated by Algiers, citing Algerian “hostility.”
Algeria rejects Mali ICJ complaint over drone downing
https://arab.news/rug6t
Algeria rejects Mali ICJ complaint over drone downing
- Algiers has said the drone was over its soil when it was hit earlier this year
- The ICJ said the case will not proceed “unless and until Algeria consents to the Court’s jurisdiction in the case“
International law at ‘breaking point’ amid ‘epidemic’ of conflicts: Survey
- Gaza war highlighted as one of the most concerning areas; atrocities in Sudan also noted
- ‘Well over’ 100,000 civilians have been killed in past 18 months amid ‘rampant impunity’
LONDON: A new survey of 23 conflicts worldwide has said more than 100,000 civilians have been killed in the past 18 months, with adherence to international humanitarian law reaching “a critical breaking point.”
The “War Watch” survey highlighted the war in Gaza as one of the most concerning areas in an “epidemic” of violence, while also noting concerning levels of atrocities in Sudan.
Taken under the auspices of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, the survey covers July 2024 to the end of 2025.
Lead author Stuart Casey-Maslen said: “Atrocity crimes are being repeated because past ones were tolerated. Our actions — or inaction — will determine whether international humanitarian law vanishes altogether.”
In Gaza, local authorities say 18,592 children and 12,400 women have been killed since Israel invaded the Palestinian enclave in October 2023.
The report said Gaza’s overall population had declined by “about 254,000 people, a 10.6 percent decline compared with pre-conflict estimates,” making it one of the most deadly conflicts in the world. It noted that despite a ceasefire being agreed late last year, civilian casualties have continued.
In Sudan, after the fall of the city of El-Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces last October, widespread reports of survivors “being gang-raped by RSF fighters” — including in the presence of relatives — were recorded in numerous instances.
The survey said: “We do not know how many civilians have been killed in the conduct of hostilities during armed conflicts in 2024 and 2025, but we do know that the number is well over 100,000 in each of the two years.”
It added that “serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) were wrought … on a huge scale and with rampant impunity.”
The report said IHL and the laws of armed conflict, established after the Second World War to protect civilians, must be upheld by every state under the Geneva Conventions “in all circumstances.”
It added: “Addressing widespread impunity for serious violations of international law should be treated as a policy priority.”
The report suggested several policy ideas to reduce the number of people suffering, including arms export bans for countries “where there is a clear risk that the arms or ammunition to be delivered will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations” of IHL.
It also proposed limiting the use of drones and artificial intelligence targeting in civilian areas, as well as unguided gravity bombs or inaccurate long-range artillery.
In addition, it called for “systematic prosecution of war crimes,” saying more political and financial support need to be given to the International Criminal Court by members of the international community.
