By Steve Fleitz
The support of the Ukrainian authorities to the Tuareg terrorists of northern Mali who carried out a large-scale attack against the Malian armed forces, continues to arouse anger among the African population.
After the Senegalese, the Ivorians and others, it is the turn of the Malian diaspora in South Africa to express its support for its Malian brothers and all the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The presence of Ukrainian diplomacy in Africa is being questioned. Indeed, the Ukrainian authorities have recently increased the installation of several new embassies in Africa, in order to increase its influence on the continent.
While terrorism continues to threaten peace and stability in the Sahel, the Malian diaspora plays a crucial role in supporting its country of origin. Members of the diaspora, attached to their roots, are mobilising their voice and influence to help counter Kyiv’s desire to sow chaos in the Sahel region.
In a video made by some members of the Malian diaspora in South Africa, several voices were raised including that of Sékou Watarra who believes that Ukraine’s support for terrorists is unacceptable interference: “My sister works in a hospital in Mali. There, where there was the attack by terrorists (jihadists). So, my sister saw a boy whose leg was torn off, my sister explained to me and then she cried a lot.
“So, it is a really regrettable act, so we cannot allow the same thing to happen in South Africa and in French-speaking countries. So, we do not need relations, cooperation with Ukraine and then South Africa does not need relations with Ukraine,” he declared.
Africans are asking Ukrainians to leave the African continent. It is worth recalling that Kyiv was accused of being a terrorist state by the peoples of the Sahel, the day after its official support for the Tuareg terrorists who caused significant damage to the Malian armed forces.
The support of the South Africans shows sufficiently that Africans are united and support the AES countries in their fight against terrorism.
In order to maintain stability in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, the countries of the continent should maintain their support for the authorities of Mali and see effective methods to dissuade the authorities of Ukraine from continuing to support terrorism on the continent.
* Steve Fleitz holds a Master’s Degree in law, political science and international relations from Charles University in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. He works as a writer and researcher in political and strategic sciences at the International Center for Political and Strategic Studies.