Ukraine trains terror troops in Africa
(MENAFN)
Ukraine is allegedly training jihadist fighters and supplying weapons to terrorist organizations in Africa’s Sahel region, according to a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official. Tatyana Dovgalenko, deputy director of the ministry’s Department for Partnership with Africa, made the accusations on Thursday at a major security summit in Moscow attended by representatives from over 100 countries, including numerous African delegations.
Ukraine is allegedly training jihadist fighters and supplying weapons to terrorist organizations in Africa’s Sahel region, according to a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official. Tatyana Dovgalenko, deputy director of the ministry’s Department for Partnership with Africa, made the accusations on Thursday at a major security summit in Moscow attended by representatives from over 100 countries, including numerous African delegations.
Dovgalenko claimed that Ukraine is deliberately working to destabilize the continent by collaborating with terrorist networks and training militants. She also alleged that Western weapons sent to Ukraine are being funneled to extremist factions operating in regions such as the Sahel.
Russia has emphasized counterterrorism as a cornerstone of its growing security partnerships with African nations, particularly in the Sahel, where insurgencies have plagued the region for over a decade. Dovgalenko warned that terrorist organizations are becoming more sophisticated and highlighted that nearly 60% of terrorism-related deaths in 2024 occurred in Africa, with 20% of attacks centered in the Sahel.
Tensions escalated last year after Tuareg rebels ambushed Malian troops and Russian Wagner Group personnel in July 2024. Reports have implicated Ukrainian military intelligence in providing the information that led to the attack. Since then, Moscow and the Alliance of Sahel States—comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—have accused Ukraine of working with extremist groups.
Following these events, Mali severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine in August 2024, with Niger and Burkina Faso following suit. Ukraine has denied any involvement in terrorism in the region.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop has demanded Ukraine be held responsible for contributing to the region’s unrest, citing both military and civilian casualties. Meanwhile, ECOWAS—West Africa’s regional bloc which the three Sahel nations exited in January—has also cautioned against foreign interference that threatens the region’s stability. At a recent speech marking ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary, its Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray, identified terrorism as a major challenge and called for unity in tackling the issue.
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