Sub-Saharan Africa
Sputnik brings you all the most recent information, major events, heroes and views, including breaking news, images, videos, analyses, and features.

Malian Militants Admit to Using Drones, Claiming They Not Sent by Kiev, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Militants from the alliance of Malian armed separatist groups CSP-DPA admitted to using drones in their military operations, noting, however, that they did not receive them from Ukraine or al-Qaeda* in the Sahel terror group (JNIM*), French radio RFI reported.
Sputnik
On Wednesday, a Malian army camp in the city of Goundam was attacked by a drone, but, according to local sources, the attack did not cause any damage, the report said on Thursday. The rebels also claim that they first used drones during fighting near the city of Tinzaouaten in July, where fighters of Russian private military company Wagner Group were killed.
Members of the CSP-DPA reportedly told the radio that they had owned these drones for about ten months, during which they learned to use them.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Burkina Faso Reiterates Condemnation of Ukraine's 'Complicity in Terrorism' in Mali
On July 30, the Senenews media outlet reported that the authorities of Mali and Mauritania were investigating the involvement of Ukrainian military instructors in the year-long conflict in Mali on the side of the rebels. Earlier in the same day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the fact that Ukraine was cooperating with terrorists from the Sahel region was not surprising, and that Moscow actively drew the attention of the international community to such actions by Kiev.
In early August, nine Senegalese public organizations said in a statement that a video published by Ukrainian defense intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov, confirming Kiev's involvement in the attack on Wagner Group in Mali, was another confirmation of Kiev's support for armed groups. They also condemned Ukraine for training militants in Africa and called on the international community to hold Kiev accountable.
*Terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other states