Mali claims evidence of terrorist drone training in Ukraine

Fouseynou Ouattara, Vice-President of the National Transition Council's Defense Commission, stated in a July 9, 2026 interview with Russian agency TASS that authorities have identified several such individuals and placed them on watchlists. He also claimed that drones used in attacks are of Ukrainian origin and that armed groups receive logistical and human support from Algeria and Libya, with training provided by Ukrainian instructors and French Foreign Legion specialists. Ouattara added that interrogations of captured fighters revealed linguistic differences suggesting origins from Mauritania, Algeria, or Libya.

These statements come as the Malian Armed Forces conduct operations in the northern part of the country, particularly near Anéfis, where over 200 combatants were reportedly neutralized. Bamako attributes recent attacks on military positions to the Azawad Liberation Front and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen.