Ukraine's drone specialists allegedly train Tuareg rebels in Mali

The war between Ukraine and Russia is spreading beyond Europe, with new reports suggesting a direct military footprint in the Sahel region of Africa.

A September investigation by CNN found that approximately 15 Ukrainian drone specialists are supporting Tuareg rebels in northern Mali. These specialists are reportedly providing training, operational planning, and remote support for drone missions against the military government in Bamako and its Russian allies.

The primary strategic goal identified by experts is to weaken Russian influence on the continent. Marta Oliynyk-D'omochko, a coordinator of the African Studies Program at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, stated that Ukraine seeks to diminish the economic opportunities arising from Russia's military presence. She described the relationship with the Tuareg forces as a tactical arrangement rather than a comprehensive alliance, noting that the groups share a common enemy but different long-term objectives.

The suspected involvement of Ukrainian forces dates back to 2024. In July of that year, an ambush on Russian Wagner fighters near Tinzaouaten resulted in heavy losses for the Russian paramilitaries and Malian troops. At the time, Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence service, said the Tuareg rebels received necessary information for the attack, though Kyiv denied direct involvement.

Recent signals from Kyiv have fueled speculation about a broader African campaign. On September 7, Kyrylo Budanov, the former head of military intelligence and current chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, posted on X that Ukrainian intelligence protects interests worldwide, referencing operations in "the burning desert sands." While he did not explicitly mention Mali, the post coincided with the CNN reporting.

The Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, operates in a region where it cooperates with JNIM, a jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaeda. This partnership poses a political risk for Ukraine, as many African nations view the Tuaregs as separatists. Ulf Laessing, a former head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, noted that Russia continues to expand its activities in Africa, using Syria and Libya as transit points for its Africa Corps. He explained that setbacks in Mali could tie up Russian resources and damage Moscow's reputation as a security partner.

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have all severed diplomatic relations with Kyiv and deepened ties with Russia. In September, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop accused Ukraine at the United Nations of providing open support to terrorist groups to undermine the country's territorial integrity. Diop did not provide specific evidence for the claim, but the three Sahel nations view Ukrainian involvement as a threat to their sovereignty.

Ukraine's military intelligence service, the HUR, has not yet confirmed the deployment of personnel to Mali. A spokesperson told DW that the agency might provide information at a later date. Until then, the extent of Ukrainian operations in the region remains unclear, with experts like Irina Filatova, a professor emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, noting that while the support is plausible, independent evidence is still lacking.