The governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso issued a joint letter yesterday addressed to the president of the UN Security Council, accusing Ukraine of providing “open and avowed support for international terrorism.” The letter, also broadcast on state television in the three countries, comes amid rising tensions between these Sahel states and Kyiv.
The three nations, united under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), recently severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine following claims by Ukrainian officials that their country had supported Tuareg fighters. These fighters were reportedly involved in recent attacks in northern Mali’s Tinzaoutène town, which led to significant casualties among Malian soldiers and Russian mercenaries. Al-Qaeda-linked militants were also said to have participated alongside the Tuareg rebels.
“We were unpleasantly surprised by the subversive remarks by the spokesman for the Ukrainian intelligence agency, admitting Ukraine’s involvement in the cowardly, treacherous, and barbaric terrorist attacks on 24, 25, and 26 July 2024, by armed terrorist groups in Tinzawatène, Mali,” the statement read.
The letter further claimed that Ukraine’s actions “go beyond the framework of foreign interference, which is condemnable in itself,” describing them as “official and unequivocal support by the Ukrainian Government for terrorism in Africa, particularly in the Sahel.”
The Sahel states argue that Ukraine’s alleged support for Tuareg rebel groups constitutes an “act of aggression” and called on the UN to take action in response.
