Tuareg rebels in Mali reject Ukraine's demands for aid

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the Tuareg rebel alliance in Mali that claimed responsibility for the July clashes with Russian Wagner mercenaries and Malian government troops, rejected claims that they had received support from Ukraine or other foreign powers.

Between 25 and 27 July, armed clashes broke out between Tuareg rebels and Malian government troops, reinforced by Russian mercenaries, in the border town of Tinzaouaten in northern Mali, near the Algerian border.

“We can clearly say that we have not received any outside help for the fighting in Tinzaouaten,” Ramadan told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the company had received no financial or other support from Kyiv.

Ramadane represents the Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), an alliance of predominantly Tuareg separatists that demands the independence of the Tuareg-oriented state of Azawad.

The Kyiv Post explained the clashes and the factions involved in detail in a recent article.

After the clashes, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service (HUR) suggested that Kyiv had provided the Tuareg with “necessary information” that “enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.”

At that time, HUR also provided the Kyiv Post with an exclusive photo of the Tuareg rebels posing with a Ukrainian flag. Some publications later noted that the photo was taken a month before the Tuareg clashed with Wagner's forces.

The Malian military junta, which had seized power in the country in a coup a few years earlier, broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine in early August. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described this decision as “short-sighted and hasty”.

Niger, another West African country ruled by a pro-Russian military junta, also broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine following Mali's decision.

Although HUR has taken action against Wagner fighters in Africa in the past, it remains unclear whether HUR is also involved in the clashes in Mali.