West Africa clique writes to UN over Ukraine rebel support

Members of the confederation of sahel states Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has called on the UN security council to condem outright Ukraine support of rebel groups particularly the sahel region.

This comes after comments from the Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman who claimed that they had handed the tuareg separatists rebels necessary information that aided them in carrying out the attack in the Tinzawaten village northern part of Mali which had seen fighting for over a decade.

The fighting claimed the lives of malian soldiers and members of the Wagner mercenaries who have been active in Mali for two years helping the Malian forces fight the insurgents.

Following the statements made by Andriy Yusov that the rebel fighters had received relevant information “to conduct a successful military operation”. Mali and Niger earlier this month ended diplomatic relations.

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In a joint letter the three countries urged the UN security council “take appropriate measures against these subversive actions which strengthen terrorist groups in Africa.”

“This is official and unequivocal support by the Ukrainian government for terrorism in Africa, particularly in the Sahel. These acts also constitute a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our States, a clear aggression and support for international terrorism, in flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant international conventions,” letter reads in part .

The ethnic Tuareg are a separate group who inhabit the Sahara region, including parts of northern Mali.

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Tuareg-led separatists launched a rebellion in 2012 that was pushed back into Mali’s arid north and later hijacked by Islamist militant groups.

The three countries signed a security pact that led to the formation of the Confederation of Sahel States after ditching their western and regional allies ( ECOWAS) which has seen a major Russian presence in the region.