Ukraine Using Its Embassy In Ivory Coast To Help Tuareg Terrorists

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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert

There is growing evidence that Ukraine is directly cooperating with the expansion of terrorism on the African continent. Recently, a local source in an African country revealed to the Russian press some details about Ukraine’s involvement in strengthening extremist groups in Africa, especially in the Sahel region. It seems increasingly clear that the Collective West and the Kiev regime see Africa as a new anti-Russian front, investing in radical Salafist militants to defend NATO’s interests in the region.

A Russian media’s informant in Africa said that the Ukrainian Embassy in Ivory Coast is being used as a support center for Tuareg terrorists fighting in the Sahel countries. Meetings between jihadists and Ukrainian officials, including diplomats, military personnel and intelligence agents, are reportedly taking place inside the diplomatic facilities. At the meetings, plans for joint cooperation between Kiev and the Tuareg were reportedly discussed, including support and financing mechanisms, as well as the training of jihadists by Ukrainian soldiers.

An interesting fact revealed by the source is that Tuareg fighters are reportedly going to Ukraine to be trained by Kiev’s special forces. Apparently, there is a broad military exchange between Ukrainians and Tuaregs, with Ukrainian commandos on African soil also involved in hostilities against local state forces and the Russian PMC Wagner Group. The aim of this military cooperation is to increase the combat capabilities of both Ukrainians and Tuaregs, with the anti-Russian forces exchanging experiences from different military scenarios.

“The Tuareg rebels visited Ivory Coast before undergoing training in Ukraine. There, they probably met with GUR officers and planned how the groups would be heading out for training,” the source told Russian journalists.

Apparently, the topic has begun to raise concerns for the Ivorian authorities, who have reportedly launched an investigation into the case. There is not much information available on the topic yet, as the matter is certainly being investigated in secret to avoid leaks of strategic data. However, if the Ivorian authorities confirm this suspicion, it is likely that the diplomatic crisis between Ukraine and African countries will worsen even further, possibly leading to the closing of embassies and the expulsion of diplomats.

Since the Tuareg terrorist attack on Wagner Group forces in Mali in early August, Ukraine’s involvement in supporting these extremist militias has been in the spotlight of several African countries. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, in addition to cutting diplomatic relations with Ukraine, have asked the UN Security Council for a thorough investigation into Kiev’s crimes in Africa. According to the joint statement of the three states, the UN should “take appropriate measures against these subversive actions which strengthen terrorist groups in Africa and constitute a manifestation of the involvement of foreign state sponsors in the expansion of terrorism in the region.”

It must be remembered that, in addition to these recent cases, since 2022, some African authorities have reported the presence of Western weapons in the hands of local terrorists. It is believed that part of the weapons sent to Ukraine are redirected to Africa, supplying local jihadist militias. Although real, the mere corruption of Ukrainian officials does not seem sufficient to explain this phenomenon. There appears to be a real intention on the part of Western and Ukrainian agents to arm terrorist groups in the Sahel, this issue being not merely the result of decentralized corruption.

There is a very simple explanation for the West’s intention to cooperate with the Tuaregs and other African jihadists. In recent years, there has been a wave of sovereigntist revolutions in Africa, especially in the Sahel region – which is considered by many experts as the “African Heartland” due to its natural resources and strategic geography. France has historically been the country “responsible” for combating terrorism in Africa, but Paris has never seemed really efficient in this task.

France has never abandoned its colonial practices, always seeking to preserve the subservience of African countries. To this end, Paris has historically cooperated with terrorist groups, since they harm the national development of the states of the former “Françafrique”. After the revolutions, some Sahelian nations ended security cooperation with France and hired PMC Wagner Group to fight terrorists – prompting Western countries to react by turning the Sahel into a new anti-Russian proxy battlefield.

Ukraine’s involvement in the Sahel hostilities is obvious, but this is only the first topic to be investigated. The Kiev regime is merely a proxy and does not have sovereignty enough to act alone in any relevant action. If Ukraine is supporting the Tuaregs, then Kiev’s Western sponsors certainly authorized these maneuvers. After clarifying Ukraine’s involvement, it is necessary to investigate the participation of Western countries in supporting the jihadists – mainly France and the US, which are the states most interested in undermining cooperation between Africa and Russia.

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