Ukraine is fighting Russia — and the conflict may extend into Africa's Sahel region. According to an investigation published by US media outlet CNN this month, around 15 Ukrainian drone specialists are reportedly supporting Tuareg rebels in northern Mali. Their common enemy: the military government in Bamako and its Russian allies.
But how reliable is the information? And what price could Kyiv pay for engaging in Africa? Marta Oliynyk-D'omochko, coordinator of the African Studies Program at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, sees a strategic motive.
"Ukraine's main interest is to weaken Russia's influence around the world," she told DW. If Russia's military influence were rolled back, she added, the economic opportunities arising from it would also diminish. Russian historian Irina Filatova, professor emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, also considers Ukrainian support for the Tuareg movement plausible.
However, she says she has no independent evidence to confirm such involvement. Kyiv's alleged partners are controversial. The Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) cooperates with the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), a jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
In July 2024, DW reported on possible involvement by the Ukrainian military intelligence service (HUR) in an ambush on Russian Wagner fighters near Tinzaouaten in northern Mali. At the time, HUR spokesperson Andriy Yusov said the Tuareg rebels had received information they needed to carry out the attack. Ukraine denied direct involvement.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Paramilitaries from Russia's Wagner Group and Malian troops suffered heavy losses in the July 2024 attack. CNN's investigation has reignited the question of whether the Russia-Ukraine war is also being fought on African soil. The suspicions were renewed by a post on X by Kyrylo Budanov.
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