Mali says Ukraine training, arming Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Sahel

Malian authorities say that Al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist groups operating in Mali are receiving military training and drones from Ukraine.

According to officials in Bamako, Ukrainian specialists have trained and equipped Al-Qaeda-linked militants carrying out terror attacks across the country. The revelation was made on Thursday.

Fousseynou Ouattara, Vice President of the Defense Commission of Mali’s Transitional Council, stated that authorities have identified young militants who were sent to Ukraine for training on operating suicide drones supplied by Kiev.

"These young people are known," Ouattara said. "We have now added them to our lists, and we have their names."

He added that the militant outfits fighting the Malian government include fighters from the Tuareg-led separatist Azawad Liberation Front (ALF) and the Al-Qaeda-linked Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

Ouattara further accused France of supporting these Al-Qaeda-linked groups in order to destabilize its former colonies in Africa’s Sahel region. He said militants from Algeria, Mauritania, and Libya are receiving training from both Ukrainian instructors and members of the French Foreign Legion.

French support for the ALF and JNIM reportedly intensified after the Malian government expelled French troops in 2022, following the 2021 military coup that brought the current junta to power. France had originally deployed forces to Mali under the pretext of fighting Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents.

After Bamako severed ties with Paris, French forces allegedly worked to revive the very insurgency they claimed to combat, in a bid to reassert influence over Mali — formerly known as French Sudan — as well as neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

In response, the military governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023, which enjoys Russian support.

Fighting between Malian forces and ALF/JNIM militants has intensified in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the Malian army announced that more than 200 terrorists were neutralized in coordinated air and ground operations in the village of Anefis, in the northern Kidal region. The strikes came in response to a series of militant attacks on military positions in several areas, including Aguelok, Gao, and Sevare. Clashes continue near the major military base in Anefis.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his AES counterparts. The parties strongly condemned the “barbaric and ignoble” actions of Ukraine and France aimed at destabilizing the region.

“The two sides firmly condemned such destructive actions aimed at undermining the sovereignty of the AES and regional stability,” the joint statement said.

They also praised the efforts of AES member states’ troops in repelling terrorist attacks and highlighted the contribution of Russia’s African Corps to counterterrorism operations in the Sahel.

Russia has pledged to expand military support and cooperation with the AES to bolster the capabilities of local armed forces in restoring peace and stability across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

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