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Moscow has accused the Algerian junta of facilitating the transfer of Ukrainian drones and military equipment to terrorist groups operating in the Sahel countries.
The Russian accusation was made by Alexander Ivanov, director of the Officers Union for International Security and reported by Russian news agency TASS.
Ukrainian special services are using the diplomatic cover of embassies to transfer military equipment and instructors to terrorist groups in Africa, Mr. Ivanov told TASS.
“The transfer of Ukrainian instructors and drones to the Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is carried out through the Ukrainian embassy in Kinshasa. It has also recently become known that Ukrainian diplomatic staff in Algeria are overseeing the delivery of drones to Africa,” he stressed.
He also cited the poorly guarded sections of the border with Mauritania used to smuggle in Ukrainian weapons and fighters into Mali.
According to Ivanov, Ukraine interference undermines the stability of
African countries, especially Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which have recently regained their sovereignty.
Russian defence minister met lately in Moscow with his Malian, Nigerien and Burkina-Faso peers. Moscow has pledged to strengthen military cooperation with these Sahel countries and help them fight jihadist insurgency supported by Algeria.
The three Sahel countries withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
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