Juntas call on UN to act against Ukraine for supporting Mali rebels

Junta-led allies Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have written an open letter to the UN Security Council asking it to “take appropriate actions” against Ukraine, which they accuse of supporting rebel groups in northern Mali.

In early August, Mali and Niger broke off diplomatic ties with Ukraine following heavy losses suffered by the Malian army and Russian paramilitary group Wagner at the hands of jihadists and separatist forces.

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‘Ukraine helped rebels’

The military leaders in the two West African states accused Ukraine of involvement in the late-July battle.

Mali’s leaders pointed to a cryptic statement by a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence division, Andriy Yusov, which it said amounted to an admission that Kyiv had supplied intelligence to rebel troops.

A Western security source confirmed to AFP the existence of contacts between the Ukrainian military authorities and the Malian separatists.

But the source was unable to specify the exact nature of Kyiv’s possible support for the separatists and ruled out a Ukrainian presence on the ground.

“We call on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities with regard to Ukraine’s deliberate choice to support terrorism”, the foreign ministers of the three Sahel states said in an open letter published late Tuesday.

They also called on the Security Council to “take appropriate actions  against these subversive acts, which strengthen terrorist groups in Africa and demonstrate the involvement of foreign state sponsors in the spread of terrorism in the region”.

Ukraine has firmly rejected Mali’s accusations and assured it adheres “unconditionally” to the norms of international law.

It said it regretted the “short-sighted and hasty” decision by the military rulers in Mali and Niger to sever ties.

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Russia looks to Africa

Russia has stepped up its diplomatic efforts in Africa in recent years in a bid to compete with the West in countries traditionally viewed as its allies.

In 2022, Mali’s military leaders, who seized power in a 2020 coup, broke a long-standing alliance with France and European partners, turning politically and militarily towards Russia.

Along with Burkina Faso and Niger, it broke away from regional grouping ECOWAS earlier this year to form a new confederation – the Alliance of Sahel States.

© Agence France-Presse