Ukraine denies supplying drones to Mali rebels

KYIV, Ukraine

Ukraine has denied allegations that it had supplied drones to rebels fighting against the Malian army and Russia-backed mercenaries.

It comes after Paris-based Le Monde newspaper reported that Ukrainian drones were providing support for the Tuareg rebels “who are benefiting from discreet but decisive support from Kyiv”.

Mali's junta-led government ended a long-running alliance with former colonial power France in 2022 in favour of Russia in a bid to tackle a years-long insurgency in the north.

But it has been unable to quell the unrest and recently suffered heavy losses, alongside its Russian allies.

Mali and its neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military is also in charge, have since accused Kyiv of supporting terrorism in the Sahel after a Ukrainian official said earlier this year that the country had offered support to the rebels.

But on Monday, Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement that the country "strongly rejects the accusations that have recently been released by the international media outlets about the alleged involvement of our state in the supply of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] to the rebels in Mali".

It also denied allegations by Malian and Nigerien officials that Ukraine was arming, providing information and giving "support to the terrorist coalition".

It called for an end to "spreading of the false information that repeats the fake narratives of the aggressor state Russia’s propaganda".

In late July, at least 84 Russia-backed fighters and 47 Malian soldiers were reportedly killed following days of clashes with Tuareg separatist rebels and fighters linked to al-Qaeda at Tinzaouten, in northern Mali.

It was seen as the heaviest-ever African defeat for the Wagner mercenary group, which has since been renamed Corps Africa.

A spokesman for Kyiv’s military intelligence service, Andriy Yusov, then said that the rebels in Mali had “received necessary information” to successfully carry out the attack.

Le Monde newspaper reports that since Yusov’s statement, the Mali rebel commanders “have been forced to reluctantly acknowledge a co-operation they would have preferred to keep secret”.

The paper says that the rebels have admitted having "links" with Kyiv, although "they were not forthcoming about the provenance of their drones”.

Mali cut diplomatic relations with Ukraine in August, in the wake of Yusov's remarks, with a top official accusing Ukraine of violating the country’s sovereignty.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has been waging a devastating war since then.

Facing isolation by Western countries because of the war, it has been seeking to gain influence in Africa by establishing political and security links, including in Mali.