Ukraine coordinating jihadist attacks in Mali – media
Ukrainian military instructors are training and arming al-Qaeda-linked militants in Mali, according to local outlet Bamada. Jihadist groups in the West African country have been waging a deadly insurgency against authorities for more than a decade.
The discovery was made during recent operations by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) following renewed attacks by Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) jihadist group, Bamada has reported.
JNIM fighters reportedly attacked security posts in Sirakorola and Tanabougou, in Mali’s southwestern Koulikoro region, on May 30. According to the outlet, FAMa forces repelled the assault, seizing weapons, documents, and equipment—days after ambushing the militants near Djongue Bambara in the Sofara region, where they were trapped while attempting to flee across the Sebedaga River.
“In a car abandoned by the attackers, Malian soldiers found a phone containing photos of Ukrainian security service documents, as well as a drone bearing Ukrainian writing,” Bamada said in a report published earlier this week.
“A preliminary investigation by the Malian military shows that the FPV drones were delivered to Mali via Mauritania by Ukrainian military instructors linked to Azawad fighters. It is highly likely that the Tuaregs, in turn, are sharing this equipment with JNIM as part of their alliance,” it added.
Additional documents allegedly linked to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) were seized in the Sofara area.
“The documents indicate that Ukrainian agents coordinated terrorist attacks against FAMa near Mopti, supplied drones equipped with Ukrainian delivery systems and even carried out drone attacks on Malian positions,” the outlet reported.
The Bamada report is the latest in a series of accounts alleging Kiev’s involvement with terrorist groups in Mali and the wider Sahel. In August, Afrique Media cited military sources claiming that Ukrainian “sabotage units” had been assisting jihadist insurgents in attacks against the Malian army, including with drones provided by Kiev. Just last week, Russian Foreign Ministry official Tatyana Dovgalenko accused Kiev of funneling Western-supplied weapons to militants across Africa and training terrorist networks in the Sahel as part of “systematic efforts to destabilize the continent.”
The accusations were sparked by a July 2024 ambush by Tuareg rebels that left dozens of Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner operatives dead. A spokesman for the HUR called the attack a “successful military operation” by his agency.
The transitional government in Mali, along with its allies in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, which are also grappling with militant violence, have severed diplomatic ties with Kiev. The three countries, founding members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), have ended defense cooperation with France, accusing the former colonial power of fostering instability and covertly backing jihadist groups. The AES states have turned to Russia for security support.
