West African juntas have written to the United Nations regarding Ukraine’s purported support for rebels

Mali’s foreign ministry has reported that the military juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have submitted a letter to the U.N. Security Council in which they denounce Ukraine’s support for insurgent groups in the Sahel region of West Africa.

Mali severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine in early August in response to statements made by Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, regarding the combat in the northern region of Mali, which resulted in the deaths of Malian soldiers and mercenaries from the Russian Wagner group in late July. A few days later, the military administration of Niger in solidarity with its neighbor, followed suit.

According to Yusov, the Malian “rebels” had acquired the requisite information to “conduct a successful military operation.”

Yusov’s remarks were perceived by Mali and Niger as an acknowledgment of Ukraine’s direct involvement in the conflict, and as a consequence, they accused Ukraine of sponsoring international terrorism.

The allegations have been repeatedly denied by Ukraine as being unfounded and false. Its foreign ministry did not promptly respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. After Moscow’s invasion more than two years ago, the nation remains embroiled in intense combat with Russia.

A insurgent alliance of Tuaregs has also stated that it did not receive any support from Ukraine.

Both jihadist insurgents and ethnic Tuareg separatists are active in northern Mali. The Tuareg claimed that they had eliminated a minimum of 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers during a series of intense battles in July.

A distinct al Qaeda affiliate claimed that it had engaged in an ambush on one of those days, resulting in the deaths of 50 Wagner mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers.

The foreign ministers of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso requested that the Security Council “accept responsibility” for Ukraine’s actions and prevent “subversive acts” that endanger regional and continental stability in their letter to the Council.

Text of the letter was uploaded to the social media account of the Malian foreign ministry. Diplomats reported that it was distributed to the 15-member Security Council on Tuesday evening.

In the past four years, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have abandoned their traditional Western and regional allies in favor of Russia, following the establishment of their respective juntas.

Wagner’s most severe defeat since its intervention to assist the junta in combating jihadist insurgents two years ago may have been the July attacks, which occurred in the northern Kidal region of Mali, near the Algerian border.

The Tuareg are an ethnic group that are distinct and inhabit the Sahara region, which encompasses portions of northern Mali. In 2012, separatists headed by the Tuaregs initiated a rebellion that was ultimately repelled into the arid northern region of Mali and subsequently hijacked by Islamist militant groups.