A copy of their letter shows that the juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have written to the United Nations Security Council to denounce Ukraine’s alleged support for rebel groups in West Africa’s Sahel region.
Mali broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine earlier this month after a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence commented on fighting in northern Mali in which Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner mercenaries were killed in late July.
The military government of Niger followed this example a few days later in solidarity with its neighbor.
The dispute broke out after a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence said Malian rebels had received “necessary” information to carry out the attack in July.
Tuareg rebels said they had killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers during days of fierce fighting, in what could be the worst defeat for Wagner since the rebels helped the Malian junta fight insurgent groups two years ago.
Mali and Niger accused Ukraine of supporting “international terrorism.”
Ukraine has repeatedly described the allegations as baseless and untrue. A Tuareg rebel alliance also said it had not received any Ukrainian support.
In their letter to the United Nations Security Council, the foreign ministers of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso called on it to take “responsibility” for Ukraine’s actions and to prevent “subversive acts” that threaten stability in the region and on the continent.
A copy of the letter was posted late Tuesday on the X account of a group called the Alliance of Sahel States, which was formed by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger after their coups.
Diplomats said the letter was distributed to the 15-member Security Council on Tuesday evening.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The country is still embroiled in heavy fighting with Russia more than two years after Moscow’s large-scale invasion.
Since their juntas came to power over the past four years, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have turned their backs on their traditional Western and regional allies and turned instead to Russia.
