The confirmation by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of Mali’s official referral against Algeria marks a decisive turning point in the sovereigntist refoundation trajectory undertaken by Mali. Far from being a simple diplomatic dispute with Algeria, this legal action embodies a clear assertion: Mali will never again allow itself to be trampled upon, militarily, diplomatically, or symbolically.

For decades, Africa has endured the arrogance of states that cloak themselves in pan-Africanist rhetoric while granting themselves rights of interference over their neighbors.

The hostile act perpetrated on the night of March 31, 2025, when the Algerian army shot down a Malian reconnaissance drone in sovereign territory, is not a technical error it is an act of war, an aggression.

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The contemptuous silence of Algier to Bamako’s requests has only confirmed this arrogant and neo-colonial posture.

In this context, the referral of the transitional authorities to the ICJ is an act of rupture, an act of institutional resistance.

By bringing this dispute before the highest international court, Mali demonstrates that it rejects the law of the strongest and is prepared to defend its territorial integrity to the end. This choice is also a message to the entire region: sovereignty is non-negotiable.

Faced with the instrumentalization of armed groups, faced with diplomatic interference masked under the guise of cooperation, Mali is laying the foundations for a new order based on reciprocity, mutual respect, and international legality.

Algeria may attempt to deny the obvious, but truth now prevails in the arena of international law.

By refusing until now to recognize the ICJ’s jurisdiction, Algiers reveals its discomfort and moral isolation. As for the Malian people, they can stand tall: they have neither retreated nor yielded.

The action of Bamako before the ICJ is a victory for all African peoples seeking dignity. It is another step toward a Sahel liberated from tutelage, standing upright and master of its choices.

Sam DOUMANI