Ukraine has denied claims that it supplied drones to rebels fighting against the Malian army and Russian-backed mercenaries.
This denial follows a report from Le Monde, a French newspaper, stating that Ukrainian drones were aiding the Tuareg rebels, who are receiving secret support from Kyiv.
Mali’s military government had previously ended its alliance with France in 2022, seeking assistance from Russia to address a long-standing insurgency in the northern region.
However, the Malian forces have struggled to control the violence, recently suffering heavy losses alongside their Russian allies.
Following comments from a Ukrainian official earlier this year about support for the rebels, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have accused Ukraine of supporting terrorism in the Sahel region.
In response, Ukraine’s foreign ministry strongly rejected these allegations, calling them false and part of Russian propaganda.
They emphasized that Ukraine is not involved in supplying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the rebels in Mali and condemned the spread of misinformation.
In late July, heavy clashes occurred between Russian-backed fighters and Tuareg rebels, resulting in significant casualties—84 Russian mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers were reportedly killed.
This event marked a severe defeat for the Wagner mercenary group, now known as Corps Africa.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, had suggested that the Malian rebels received critical information that enabled them to succeed in their attack.
Following this, the Tuareg commanders acknowledged some level of cooperation with Ukraine but were not specific about the source of their drones.
Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine in August after Yusov’s statements, accusing Ukraine of infringing on its sovereignty.
This situation comes amid Russia’s efforts to increase its influence in Africa following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as the country faces isolation from Western nations .
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg9eked5vgo