HARARE, October 9. /TASS/. Malian separatists maintain contact with Ukrainians and undergo training with instructors sent by Kiev. The training takes place in northern Mali near the border with Mauritania, reports the Nigerian newspaper Vanguard, citing a source within the separatist group Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) - which is closely linked to the terrorist organization Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel.
Ukraine supports rebels in Mali and supplies them with weapons
A diplomatic source in the region stated that Ukrainians have "a definite presence in northern Mali, where they move about and collaborate with Tuareg rebels," the newspaper notes. According to the source, Ukrainians and FLA fighters move across the Mali-Mauritania border, and the drones used by the separatists are supplied by Ukraine.
"It is no coincidence that Kiev opened an embassy in Nouakchott in 2024, given that Mauritania serves as a rear base for FLA leaders," the publication quotes the source as saying.
Ukraine attempts to counter Russia wherever it can, the newspaper points out. In response, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have turned their backs on their former colonial ruler, France, moved closer to Russia, and severed diplomatic relations with Kiev.
They accuse Ukraine of supplying weapons to the Azawad Liberation Front.
"In Africa and the Sahel, [Ukraine] is providing clear and open support to terrorist groups and other mafia-like groups to undermine our country’s territorial integrity," the newspaper quotes Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop as saying. Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine singled out France and Ukraine, accusing them of directing "proxies" along his country’s northeastern borders to attack military positions and oil facilities.
The newspaper noted that while the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not respond to these accusations, the former head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kirill Budanov, effectively admitted that GUR agents are operating in Sahelian countries.
Kiev focuses on the Sahel
In recent years, Ukraine has opened several embassies in Africa in attempts to strengthen its influence on the continent, where Russia holds a strong position, the newspaper says. In March of this year, Kiev outlined a strategy to expand its influence in Africa, and in August, Zelensky instructed ambassadors to pay special attention to specific regions of the continent - above all, the Sahel.
