Outrage as Ukraine helps militants ambush Mali and Russia's Wagner forces in Sahel
A deadly battle with Tuareg rebels results in the Wagner Group's worst losses in Africa and highlights a new player in the West's neo-colonial strategy
Yes, you read the title correctly. Ukraine have waded into Africa with their ongoing conflict with Russia. Ukraine is accused of giving intel to Tuareg militants who have been in an age-old battle with numerous countries in the Sahel region of Africa, most notably Mali. This intel led to a major ambush by the Tuareg on a convoy of Mali and Russian Wagner troops that left over forty Mali soldiers and more than eighty Wagner troops dead. It was a loss so devastating for the paramilitary group that there was mourning in Russia to commemorate the fallen.
This attack, which took place in July 2024, was significant not just for its tactical success but for the broader geopolitical implications, particularly with Ukraine's involvement in the operation.
Now, before anyone hangs on the ‘allegation,’ this is how geopolitics works.; You do everything not to leave a definitive trail. What is telling is the Ukraine government hasn’t denied involvement.
What I am going to do with this article is give you an overview of the history of the conflict in this part of the Sahel, the key players involved and how I believe former colonial powers are using Ukraine and their war with Russia to claw back their rapid loss of ground in west Africa.
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New Allies
I wrote an article about the role of Wagner in Africa and how they have been filling the void left by the French military who have, in my opinion, intentionally failed to quell the terrorist crisis in West Africa.
So Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso kicked the French and US military and diplomats out of their countries. It was humiliating for superpowers used to flexing on Africa for centuries. Sure, we all gloated but I knew the US and France weren’t going to give up their grip on West Africa that easy.
Sure we’ve been celebrating the Sahel Alliance and the incredible job Captain Traore has been spearheading along with his allies General Tchiani and Assimi Goita. However, when they made the alliance official, I said that this is the time their relationships with other nations outside Africa will really make a difference.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso cannot survive without friends outside Africa, more specifically, friends that the likes of the US and France would be afraid to mess with.
Enter Russia and China.
You are on my platform because of Africa’s true history. We are learning together and I am sharing my journey of discovery with you. There is a deeper context to what is going on in the Sahel and the West is exploiting a centuries old conflict the way they always have. It is important you all understand the nuances before jumping to conclusions as to who is right and wrong.
Those rebels of the Tuareg actually have more in common ideologically with the average pan-African than you may realise, but a lot of their efforts have been infiltrated and exacerbated by bad actors intent on causing chaos in Africa.
So what is the story of the Tuareg?
The Tuareg Struggle: A Historical Context
The Tuareg people, a nomadic Berber ethnic group, have long inhabited the Sahara Desert, spanning several modern nations, including Mali, Niger, and Algeria. For centuries, they controlled important trade routes across the desert, serving as the linchpin between sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean.
Their rich culture and history of autonomy were upended during the colonial era, particularly by the French, who partitioned their homeland into modern states without consideration for their nomadic way of life. You see, the Tuareg are an ancient African people that go all the way back to Ancient Egyptian times and beyond. They existed on African soil long before what we now call countries and they were and continue to be violently opposed to the artificial borders drawn by European colonisers over the last few centuries.
Since the post-colonial period, the Tuareg have waged multiple rebellions against the central governments of Mali and Niger, seeking autonomy or independence for their ancestral lands. These uprisings have been met with varying degrees of repression, but the 2012 Tuareg uprising in Mali marked a significant turning point.
The rebellion initially sought to establish an independent state called Azawad but was soon hijacked by Islamist militants, plunging the region into chaos and drawing international intervention, most notably from France.
On the surface of things you would say, ‘Oh so France was helping Mali and Niger fight terrorism, isn’t that nice.’ Not so fast my dear Alkebulanians.
Not so fast.
Ask yourself why this ancient battle of the Tuareg was suddenly hijacked by Islamist militants in 2012? What happened close to that time that could have caused this?
Aha! In 2011 Gaddafi was murdered, Libya was destroyed and all manner of criminal and psycopath flooded that country or fled into neighbouring regions of Africa. When you add in the role Sarkozy and France played in the downfall of Libya, they as well as the US are directly responsible for the terrorism plaguing the Sahel today. It is incredibly disingenuous that they now want to act like saviours when they caused the problems in the first place.
The Wagner Group and Russia’s Interests in Mali
Fast forward to the present, and the situation in Mali has dramatically shifted. Following a series of military coups and the withdrawal of French forces in 2022, Mali's military junta turned to Russia for security assistance. Enter the Wagner Group, a private military company with close ties to the Kremlin.
Wagner’s involvement in Mali is part of Russia’s broader strategy in Africa, where the group has established a presence in several countries, often in exchange for access to natural resources like gold and uranium.
The relationship between Wagner and the new Malian government has allowed the group to exert significant influence over the country’s security apparatus. In return for their services, Wagner has reaped financial rewards, with reports suggesting that they receive millions of dollars monthly, much of it financed by Western mining companies operating in the region.
However, Wagner’s presence has also exacerbated tensions with local rebel groups, particularly the Tuareg, who see the foreign mercenaries as another form of external oppression. So what side of the fence are you on?
Remember, the CIA have been using private military groups like Blackwater all over Africa for decades. This isn’t even accounting for the covert destabilisation tactics Western intelligence uses on the continent. There is nothing Wagner is doing that the US and UK haven’t done and worse.
The big difference is with the UK, US, France and Germany, Africa gets nothing in return and the African governments aren’t the ones in control of those relationships. With Wagner it is completely transactional, at least for now.
Ukraine’s Global Strategy: Targeting Russia’s African Interests
What is most interesting about this situation is the role Ukraine is playing in the conflict. While Mali’s fight with the Tuareg has largely flown under the radar, it is now part of a larger chess game between Russia and Ukraine.
Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has expanded its diplomatic and military strategy beyond Europe, recognising that Russia’s influence in Africa is critical to sustaining its war machine.
I’ve spoken about this often and that our relationship with Russia is incredibly beneficial to both us as Africans fighting neo-colonialism and them as an ostracised nation doing battle with the entire Western bloc. Russia’s economic activities in Africa provide Moscow with much-needed revenue.
Ukraine’s involvement in the Sahel is part of a broader strategy to undermine Russia’s global operations. Ukraine has recognized that it cannot defeat Russia solely on the European battlefield; it must also disrupt Russian operations abroad. This explains why Ukrainian intelligence and possibly military support have reportedly been directed towards groups like the Tuareg rebels, who are fighting against the Wagner-backed Malian government.
This means that we can now see Ukraine as an enemy of Africa. I’m not being overly dramatic but that is the logical conclusion from the current state of affairs if, and it does look to be the case, these allegations are true.
They do not care about our well-being as Africans if destabilising the Sahel region will negatively impact their enemy in Russia. So to all Africans who have an opinion on the Russia-Ukraine war, has this affected your stance?
The Ambush: A Tactical Victory with Geopolitical Ripples
These are the facts. On July 28, 2024, Tuareg rebels launched a carefully coordinated ambush against a convoy of Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries near Tinzaouaten, close to the Algerian border.
As I mentioned, the ambush resulted in significant losses for both the Malian government forces and Wagner. This was one of the most successful rebel operations in recent years and marked a turning point in the conflict between the Tuareg and the Malian government. So how exactly did Ukraine support this attack?
According to multiple reports, Ukraine provided the Tuareg with crucial intelligence on the movements of the Wagner forces, as well as training in ambush tactics.
Ukraine is trying to do to things; weaken Russia’s influence in Mali and send a message to other African nations that Wagner’s presence does not guarantee security. However, whose message are we talking about? Do you really believe Ukraine is acting purely on its own volition?
The Puppeteers You Cannot See
The US, UK and France rarely directly conduct aggressive operations in modern Africa since the end of official colonialism. They utilise proxies whether as individual hitmen both physical and economic or in nations and rebel organisations.
The US and France need to get back into Mali and Niger and what better way to do that than to use Ukraine to destabilise the region so much that those nations beg them to return to restore order.
It isn’t beyond reason that you could have a situation where they validate military intervention to ‘save’ Mali if they push things so far over the edge that you have a risk of genocide in the Sahel.
This is how the West can sell an intervention to their own people because, as they did in Iraq and Libya, they are going in to ‘bring democracy and peace to people on the brink of annihilation!’
Yeah. Where have we heard that one before?
A Dangerous Game: The Risks of Ukraine’s African Strategy
While Ukraine’s involvement in the ambush has certainly dealt a blow to Russia’s operations in Mali, it also comes with significant risks. Mali’s government has already severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine in response to the attack, and there is concern that Ukraine’s actions could further destabilize an already volatile region.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has condemned foreign interference in the region, warning that it could exacerbate the conflict. I don’t take ECOWAS seriously anyway so their opinion on this matter is neither here nor there in my opinion.
Moreover, Ukraine’s strategy of supporting rebel groups like the Tuareg could backfire if these groups pursue agendas that conflict with broader Western interests in the region. The Tuareg rebels, while primarily focused on autonomy, have previously aligned with Islamist militants, and there is a risk that the conflict could spiral out of control, drawing in more extremist elements.
What is even more precarious for Ukraine is that if they lose the war with Russia, which is more than likely, they will have ostracised themselves from Africa and what is the future of the global economic landscape.
The Sahel’s Future: A Proxy Battlefield
The Sahel region has long been a crossroads of conflict, shaped by colonial borders, resource struggles, and the aspirations of its people for autonomy. With the involvement of global powers like Russia and Ukraine, the region has now become a proxy battlefield in a larger geopolitical struggle.
For the Tuareg, this represents both an opportunity and a risk. While Ukrainian support may provide them with the tools to strike at their enemies, it also places them at the centre of a conflict that extends far beyond their traditional grievances.
In the coming months, the Sahel will likely see further escalations in the conflict between Mali’s government, its Wagner allies, and the various rebel groups vying for control. As Ukraine deepens its involvement in Africa, it remains to be seen whether this strategy will pay off or whether it will lead to further instability in a region that has already endured decades of war and unrest.
What are your thoughts on the situation?
Could this still yet, be choosing the greater of two evils??