Rebels in Mali harness Ukrainian intelligence and tactics

Tuareg rebels in Mali are resorting to tactics learnt from Ukrainian intelligence personnel in their fight against Mali’s ruling junta, according to The Arab Weekly plus agencies on October 7^th.

These tactics – ranging from explosive kamikaze drones to inflatable decoy vehicles – have been heavily utilised by Ukraine in its war against Russia and are now being harnessed by the Azawad Liberation front (FLA).

The FLA is a separatist militia of mostly Tuareg groups who are fighting for control and eventual sovereignty over the Azawad territory in the North of Mali. It was formed in late November 2024 and is composed of four former armed Tuareg groups that launched an insurgency in 2012.

The Tuareg are a semi-nomadic people of Berber descent native to the Sahara desert and Sahel. By virtue of their distinct identity, they have long sought political autonomy and self-determination.

The Tuareg have considerable ties to Kyiv, likely because the Malian government receives military support from Russian mercenaries while fighting against the rebels and Jihadists affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

In June, France24 via AFP and AP reported that the Russian paramilitary Wagner group left Mali, with its units there being taken over by the Kremlin-run Africa Corps.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, an FLA spokesperson, declared that “perhaps what binds us most to Ukraine is that, like us, it is suffering Russian barbarism and imperialism.”

Ukrainian military intelligence official Andriy Yusov implied in July 2024 that Kyiv had provided the rebels with “necessary information” which allowed them to launch an attack.

In the attack in the Northeastern town of Tinzaouaten, dozens of Malian soldiers and Wagner group mercenaries were killed. The FLA carried out the attack with support from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a Jihadist group linked to Al-Qaeda.

Following the revelation of Kyiv’s involvement, Mali officially cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine. According to a BBC report on August 5^th, 2024, a top Malian official chastised “Ukraine’s involvement in a cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups.”

Ulf Laessing, director of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali, warned that Ukraine’s meddling may backfire: “Ukraine wanted to impress its Western partners by claiming that it was helping the rebels attack Russia in Africa as well.”

“But it underestimated public opinion since the rebels are considered terrorists in the Sahel capitals.”

At the United Nations in late September, Malian Prime Minister General Abdoulaye Maiga accused Ukraine of supplying weaponry to the FLA: “The Ukrainian regime has become one of the main suppliers of kamikaze drones to terrorist groups around the world.”

He also said that “as distant as it may seem, the war in Ukraine and terrorism in the Sahel are connected.”

Ukraine and the FLA have both repeatedly denied the accusations made against them by the military Juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, who have all become closer to Russia after distancing themselves from the West.

In response to the accusations, Ramadane said that “we have received no material assistance from Ukraine, no drones, no weapons, no other equipment.”

However, he did admit that some FLA personnel have received specialised training on the use of FPV (first-person view) drones in Ukraine: “Today, this technological mastery is fully integrated into our combat capabilities.”

The drones are armed with explosives and are operated remotely via a virtual reality headset, allowing the “FLA to avoid direct confrontation” against the Malian army and Africa Corps, who have significantly superior weaponry, according to Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Centre for the New South.

The FLA have also added fibre-optic explosive drones to their arsenal, which are another Ukrainian innovation.

The Arab Weekly plus agencies, Maghrebi.org, France24 via AFP and AP, BBC