The Sahel states have requested that the UNSC investigate Kiev’s involvement in the tragic attacks that Tuareg separatist militants carried out in Mali in July.
The president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was petitioned by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to condemn the Ukrainian government’s “open and assumed support for international terrorism,” notably in the Sahel region of Africa.
The foreign ministers of the three nations expressed their dismay in a joint letter on Tuesday, stating that Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, had made remarks “admitting Ukraine’s role in the cowardly, barbaric and criminal attacks” between July 24 and 26.
The action comes in response to recent remarks made by Ukrainian officials implying that Kiev was involved in the Tuareg separatist rebel attacks that resulted in the deaths of numerous Malian soldiers in the northeastern village of Tinzawaten near the Algerian border last month.
It further stated that Yurii Pyvovarov, the ambassador of Ukraine to Senegal, had verified the statements.
After friends of Russia’s Wagner Group in the Malian army admitted “losses” in the skirmishes, Yusov claimed the rebels had acquired “the necessary information they needed” to carry out the attacks.
“Take appropriate measures against these subversive actions which strengthen terrorist groups in Africa,” the letter said of the Security Council.
Diplomatic Repercussions
It said that the official’s remarks went beyond the bounds of foreign meddling, which is unacceptable in and of itself.
“The Ukrainian government is officially and unequivocally endorsing terrorism in Africa, especially in the Sahel. Part of the letter reads, “These acts also constitute a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and the pertinent international conventions, as well as a violation of our States’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, a clear aggression, and support for international terrorism.”
Under the Confederation of Sahel States, the three nations have inked a defense agreement.
Over the past ten years, the Malian army and separatist groups have engaged in combat in the Tinzawaten region.
Earlier this month, Mali and Niger cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine, citing remarks made by a Ukrainian military official implying that Kiev was involved in the assaults in July.
