Ukrainian specialists reportedly train Tuareg rebels in northern Mali
A CNN investigation identifies fifteen drone experts aiding separatists against Russian-backed forces in the Sahel, a move Kyiv has not officially confirmed.
By Fatou Kim ·
The war between Ukraine and Russia may now be fought on African soil. A CNN investigation published in September reported that approximately fifteen Ukrainian drone specialists are supporting Tuareg rebels in northern Mali. Their shared enemy is the military government in Bamako and its Russian allies.
Marta Oliynyk-D'omochko, coordinator of the African Studies Program at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, described the strategic logic behind the move. "Ukraine's main interest is to weaken Russia's influence around the world," she said. She noted that reducing Moscow's military footprint would also diminish the economic opportunities arising from it.
Kyiv's alleged partners are the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg separatist group. The FLA cooperates with Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, a jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaeda. While the two groups have different objectives, they share a tactical alliance against the current government.
The question of Ukrainian involvement was renewed by a September 7 post on X by Kyrylo Budanov. The former head of military intelligence and current chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote that Ukrainian intelligence protects national interests "from Russia to Africa .. in the burning desert sands." Budanov did not explicitly mention Mali, and his post does not confirm a specific operation.
CNN reported that the Ukrainian team provided drone training, operational planning, and remote support for missions. DW reached out to the HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence service, for comment. An HUR spokesperson said the agency might provide information at a later date but did not confirm a specific deployment or political approval for a mission in Mali.
The three Sahel nations of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have severed diplomatic relations with Kyiv. In September, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop accused Ukraine at the United Nations of providing "clear and open support to terrorist groups" to undermine the country's territorial integrity. Diop did not provide evidence for the claim.
Filatova, a professor emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, considers the Ukrainian support plausible but lacks independent evidence to confirm it. Oliynyk-D'omochko warns that cooperation with separatists could undermine Ukraine's message of equal partnerships with African countries. The extent of Ukrainian involvement in the region remains unclear.
