Ukraine has rejected accusations from Mali and Niger that Kyiv backs armed groups or interferes in Sahel affairs, Anadolu Agency reported, reviving a dispute reflected in U.N. records.
At the Sept. 28, 2026, U.N. General Assembly session, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop accused Ukraine of supporting armed groups, according to an automatically generated U.N. transcript page. DW reported that Diop presented no evidence for the accusation.
A letter dated Aug. 19, 2024, from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger accused Ukraine of supporting international terrorism in the Sahel. The U.N. circulated it as Security Council document S/2024/623 on Sept. 4, 2024; the filing records the governments’ allegation without independently confirming it.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry rejected Mali’s allegation that Kyiv supported international terrorism on Aug. 5, 2024. Anadolu reported that in October 2024 the ministry also denied supplying drones to Malian rebels, and that Mali and Niger severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine amid the dispute.
The dispute also overlaps with reports about Ukraine’s role in Mali. CNN reported that about 15 Ukrainian specialists aided Tuareg rebels. EconoTimes previously covered CNN’s account and the verification questions around it. DW found no independent confirmation of CNN’s account, and Ukraine has not publicly acknowledged a deployment.
