Mali has taken its case against Ukraine to the UN again, two years after severing diplomatic ties with Kiev over a rebel ambush that killed dozens of Malian soldiers and allied Russian forces.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told the UN General Assembly on Monday that Ukraine was aiding armed groups in the Sahel and urged the international community to respond.
Why has Mali raised the accusation again?
Diop’s remarks follow a series of coordinated militant raids in Mali and new reports of Ukrainian assistance with drone operations. Pointing to attacks on April 25 and July 4, he said they exposed a “dangerous connection” between jihadists and separatist rebels, and accused Kiev of aiding forces that threaten his country’s territorial integrity.
“Ukraine is just the visible part of the iceberg,” he said, claiming the violence was part of a wider effort to destabilize the Sahel states and obstruct their break with former colonial influence.
The April offensive by the Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) struck several cities and killed Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara. Mali’s army said it repelled assaults on military sites and key infrastructure with support from Russia’s Africa Corps, killing more than 200 militants.
Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga described the offensive as an attempt to seize power. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the assault, saying it amounted to an attempted coup and claimed that the attackers had received training involving Ukrainian and European mercenary instructors.
In July 2024, Tuareg rebels ambushed Malian troops and Wagner Group contractors near Tinzaouaten, close to the Algerian border. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrey Yusov later said the rebels had received “necessary information” that enabled the operation, adding that “there will be a continuation.”
Yuriy Pyvovarov, then Ukraine’s ambassador to Senegal, shared Yusov’s interview on Facebook, writing, “The work will continue. There will certainly be other results.” Senegal summoned him over the post, while Mali cited the remarks as evidence of Kiev’s involvement, and severed diplomatic ties.
What has been reported about Ukrainian involvement since then?
Le Monde reported in 2024 that Ukrainian intelligence had taught Tuareg rebels to build and operate explosive drones, citing sources close to the group. This month, CNN interviewed Ukrainian personnel who said about 15 specialists were assisting the FLA with unmanned aircraft. One described remotely directing rebel drone missions.
Fousseynou Ouattara, vice president of the defense commission of Mali’s transitional council, told TASS in July that authorities had identified fighters who had received drone training in Ukraine. Malian outlet Bamada also reported that soldiers recovered a drone bearing Ukrainian writing and documents allegedly linked to Ukrainian intelligence during operations against JNIM.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the Sahel states’ terrorism allegations, describing them as “groundless and untrue” and calling Mali’s decision to sever ties “hasty.” In August 2024, it said Bamako had provided no evidence of Ukrainian involvement in the Tinzaouaten attack. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency also referred CNN to earlier official remarks when approached for comment on its September report of Ukrainian drone specialists assisting rebels in Mali.
Niger and Burkina Faso have also accused Ukraine of supporting armed groups. The three Alliance of Sahel States (AES) members filed a complaint with the UN Security Council in August 2024.
During a televised interview on Sunday reviewing his four years in office, Burkina Faso’s interim President Ibrahim Traore said he had placed Ukraine on his country’s “map of enemies.” Speaking about what he described as attempts to destabilize Mali and Niger, he warned these were “only the beginning.” He cited Pyvovarov’s comment, saying the diplomat had “clearly stated that they were involved” in supporting armed groups in the Sahel.
Russia backs the Sahel states’ accusations. Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Kiev of “state terrorism” against countries in the region, citing reports of serving Ukrainian troops joining attacks alongside armed groups. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously said Kiev was opening a “second front” against Russia in Africa by supporting militants in countries friendly to Moscow.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko told TASS on July 17 that Ukrainian instructors trained in drone warfare were embedded with Islamist militants in Mali. He also alleged Ukrainian involvement in attacks on Russian interests in Libya and support for paramilitary forces in Sudan, extending Moscow’s accusations beyond the Sahel.
Why have the Sahel states turned to Russia?
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso ended defense ties with France, accusing it of failing to contain the insurgency and interfering in their affairs. They have strengthened counterterrorism cooperation with Russia.
Nearly 49,000 people have been killed in violence linked to militant Islamist groups in the Sahel since 2022, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies said in August.
Mali and Russia signed a military cooperation agreement in June 2019. Bamako sought Russian private military assistance in 2021. Wagner was replaced by Russia’s Defense Ministry-run Africa Corps in June 2025. The corps operates at African governments’ official request, Lavrov said last month.
At the UN on Monday, Diop said the AES remained open to partnerships respecting its members’ sovereignty. “We do not accept dictates; rather, we seek sincere and healthy cooperation,” he said.
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