Ukraine Denies Being Involved In Drone Supply To Mali Rebels

Mali military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/US Air Force/Master Sigt. Ken Bergmann)

JAKARTA - Ukraine on Monday night denied media reports that it was involved in supplying drones to rebels fighting in northern Mali.

The French Le Monde newspaper reported that the Tuareg fighters in the West African country used Ukrainian drones with "quiet but firm" support from Kyiv to fight the Mali army and a group of Russian Wagner mercenaries who said they were fighting alongside the Mali army.

"Ukraine strongly rejects allegations recently released by international media about the alleged involvement of our country in supplying UAVs to rebels in Mali," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.

Mali, where military authorities seized power in the coup in 2020 and 2021, is battling an insurgency that has lasted for years, with a fierce battle against the ongoing Tuareg rebels near the Mali border with Algeria.

In August, Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine due to Kyiv's comments that the rebels had all the "needed" information to carry out the reported attack that killed a number of Mali soldiers and Wagner fighters in the north.

Russia, which in recent years has intensified efforts to gain influence in Africa, including Mali, accuses Ukraine of opening a "second front" against Russia by supporting fighters in friendly African countries with Moscow.

Russia and Ukraine are involved in the biggest war in Europe after World War II, after Moscow launched what it called a special military operation in February 2022.