Following months of accusations, Ukraine has finally denied media reports that it has been involved in supplying drones to rebels fighting in the north of Mali.
Ukraine made the remarks late on Monday through its foreign ministry in a statement after a French newspaper, Le Monde had reported that the Tuareg fighters in the West African country use Ukrainian drones with « discreet but decisive » support from Kyiv against the Mali army and Russia’s Wagner group.
The statement read « Ukraine strongly rejects the accusations that have recently been released by the international media outlets about the alleged involvement of our state in the supply of UAVs to the rebels in Mali, » referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.
With these remarks, Ukraine blatantly ignored the comments that had been made earlier by Mali at the United Nations Security Council.
In August, Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine over Kyiv’s comments that the rebels got all « necessary » information to conduct attacks that reportedly killed scores of Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters in the north.
Russia, which in recent years has intensified efforts to gain influence in Africa, including Mali, has accused Ukraine of opening a « second front » against Russia by supporting fighters in Moscow-friendly African states
