November 24, 2024:
For over a year Ukraine has been supporting rebel groups in Africa that are fighting members of the Russian Afrika Corps. Russia is currently supporting rebel or government forces in several African countries. These activities are meant to improve Russian influence in Africa, where there are many natural resources that are up for grabs and Russia wants to compete with Europe, America and China for these items. To do that the Wagner Force was reactivated in Africa. Wagner is now government controlled and works for the Defense Ministry.
Ukraine provides training and other aid to government or rebel groups that are under attack by Russian forces. Most of the current fighting is in Mali, where a 2021 coup put pro-Russian Mali colonels in charge. Despite criticism from foreign aid donors like France, the colonels threatened to seek alternative financial aid and managed to obtain the services of Russian mercenaries. Russia was interested in post-war economic deals with Mali and the Mali military government felt more comfortable dealing with the Russians than the French. Russia has supplied Mali with food and fertilizer and mercenaries to help deal with Tuareg separatists and Islamic terrorists in the north.
Over the last decade the Islamic terrorists have been operating closer and closer to the Mali capital Bamako. In September 2024 there was an attack on a military base and the airport outside Bamako. Some aircraft were set on fire. The army captured fifteen of the attackers. In July about forty Russian mercenaries were ambushed and killed in the north near the Algerian border. A Tuareg militia carried out the attack during a sandstorm.
The coup leaders have utilized Mali's gold mines as a resource, though this has also led to protests and security crackdowns. Russia is helping Mali expand gold production The Russian presence is not welcome except to the army officers running the military government. The Tuaregs and local Islamic terror groups are particularly hostile to the Russian presence. The military government and their Russian allies have taken heavy losses recently but still control most of the country. This won’t last because popular unrest caused by growing poverty and violence is threatening the military government.
Ukraine has intervened to assist Mali Tuareg rebels fighting the Russian backed groups. Ukraine provides training for the rebels. Meanwhile the Mali government has cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine because they blame Ukraine for recent Tuareg victories that left 84 Russian mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers dead.