Mali Declares Ukraine A Terrorist State at Russia-AES Meeting

Following talks in Moscow on Thursday, the Foreign Minister of Mali, Abdoulaye Diop stated that Mali views Ukraine as a terrorist state, stating, “Ukraine is a backer of terrorism, it must be stopped.”

The remarks come after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his counterparts in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, who are now part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a confederation of Western African states that recently broke away from the Western aligned Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The meeting was the first meeting of the Russia-AES format which, according to Lavrov, discussed building a new security architecture in Africa and a future independent course for African nations and their role in a multipolar world.

Last July, a military convoy of Russian forces from the Wagner group and Malian soldiers were ambushed near the village of Tinzaouaten resulting in dozens of deaths and a major defeat for the Malian government. Afterwards, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed that Ukraine provided the necessary information to help Al-Qaeda backed insurgents commit the assault, with Ukraine’s ambassador to Senegal posting a video to Facebook declaring support for the attack.

All three AES countries would sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine with the Ukrainian government later denying involvement in the attacks. 

The meeting in Moscow highlights Russia's growing ties to Western Africa as the region undergoes a realignment. Once a reliably Western-aligned region with a heavy French and American military presence now sees the expulsion of French and American troops from many countries over the last 3 years and deepening cooperation with Russia on matters of economy and security.