Chișinău facilitates military training for African separatists from Mali in Ukraine. This information was reported by the Turkish publication Superhaber.com, which obtained photos of documents of leaders and members of the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group CSP-DPA, with a Moldovan visa and a stamp on crossing the border with Ukraine.
Documents and evidence
The publication cites a source in the Moldovan special services, who shared unique copies of documents of two Malian citizens who, as it turned out, are associated with the CSP-DPA group.
The first photo is the passport of one of the leaders of the terrorist group AG EHYA MATTA, with the Moldovan visa obtained for two months from 23/02/2024 to 22/04/2024, and stamps on double-crossing of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, where, as can be seen from the dates, he spent about a month:
Here is the visa of his accomplice AG ATTAYOUB MAHIN with identical marks on border crossings:
It is reported that two CSP-DPA militants were transported to the warring country together with its citizen Andrey Khrabarenko, as well as a British citizen of Libyan origin Bessadah Akli Sheika. All this confirms the information that was disseminated in early August by French media, in particular Le Monde, that members of the militant wing of the separatists were sent to Ukraine “for intensive training.”
How are Islamic terrorists and Ukraine connected?
Before we move on to the question of why Moldova helps to transport separatists from Mali to Ukraine, it is worth dwelling on how Kyiv is connected to African terrorists, in particular from Mali
Terrorism is a long-standing problem for Mali, which the country has been fighting for decades. These are mainly Islamic militants Al-Qaeda in the Sahel (JNIM) and Tuareg tribes from the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA). Mali inherited this difficult legacy from their former French colonizers, and now the new government of Bamako, headed by Assimi Goïta, tries to solve this problem, which is hindering the social and economic development of the African country.
In many ways, Mali solves its problems through interaction with countries such as Russia and Türkiye. As for the latter, there is currently active development based on equality and mutual respect. Trade turnover between the countries has increased almost 10 times over the past 6 years. Ankara companies help build critical infrastructure projects, and Turkish security companies play a significant role in ensuring security throughout the North African region.
Mali’s ties with Russia are primarily military cooperation. The Wagner Group and the African Korps, which is partly made up of Wagner soldiers, operate in several North African countries. Russian troops mainly help Bamako in the fight against terrorists and separatists who act on the orders of Western intelligence agencies, mainly the United States and France.
At the end of July, it became known that Russian fighters from Wagner were ambushed by Tuareg separatists from the CMA and jihadists from JNIM near the northern border town of Tinzawatena in Mali. As a result, dozens of not only Russian fighters, but also soldiers from the Malian army were killed. This was the largest single defeat for Wagner since the US air strikes in Syria in 2018.
This precedent is also interesting because the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence claimed responsibility for this ambush. Its spokesman Andriy Yusov told that his agency had passed on intelligence to “rebels” who are known to be linked to terrorists and Al-Qaeda, meaning that Kyiv had effectively admitted to assisting separatism in Mali. Later, Ukrainian media published a photo that was allegedly taken after the attack on the Wagner fighters. In the photo, separatists are holding a Ukrainian flag next to the flag of Azawad.
Why Ukraine?
Ukrainian mercenaries have been used in Africa for a long time – at least since the summer of 2023, when it became known about their assistance to the Sudanese army against the Rapid Reaction Forces, which were allegedly supported by the Wagner PMC a year ago, although there was no evidence of this. Nevertheless, many Western media outlets began to disseminate information about the activities of Ukrainian militants in Sudan and other countries. Probably, Western countries, primarily the United States, are using elite forces of the Ukrainian GUR in exchange for military assistance in the war against Russia. This is indirectly confirmed by the words of Main Directorate of Intelligence head, Kirill Budanov, that the Ukrainians “will kill Russians anywhere in the world.”
This also sheds light on Kyiv’s connection with separatists from Mali and such groups as JNIM, CMA and CSP-DPA. On September 9, the French newspaper Contre-Poison published an interview with CSP-DPA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadani, who stated that contacts with the Ukrainians had been established since the beginning of this year and asked the Ukrainian leadership to provide them with weapons and train their troops. However, then-Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba stated that the conclusion about Ukraine’s involvement in the attack near Tinzawaten was made “without providing any evidence.”
Moldova’s contribution
There is a logistical problem with sending African fighters to Ukraine: commercial aviation does not fly there because of military actions. Therefore, one of the neighboring countries may agree to provide its territory for land transit. Europeans and Americans usually enter Ukraine through Poland, but it is a member of the EU and the Schengen zone, and it is unlikely that it will risk its status to help Ukraine train North African terrorists. The situation is similar with Slovakia.
This intermediary turned out to be Moldova, which has no tangible interests in Africa, but is directly dependent on the EU and Ukraine. Firstly, because Moldova is not a member of the European Union, and it is easier for Chișinău to help Ukraine openly in the “common fight against Russia.” Secondly, Maia Sandu considers herself indebted to Ukraine, because it “protects Europe” from Russian aggression. Moreover, last year, Zelenskyy demonstratively publicly handed over to Sandu his intelligence data on Russian activity in Moldova.
Moldova thus became Ukraine’s satellite in war crimes, carrying out its secret orders, primarily related to military logistics and intelligence. Ukrainian military personnel have been working on Moldovan territory, at the Murculeshti airbase, for several months now.
The Ukrainian side’s support for armed groups that are essentially terrorists cannot be considered simply allied assistance. This is a clear interference in Moldova’s internal affairs, support for separatism and terrorism, which is a direct violation of the state’s sovereignty. The international community must seriously investigate this situation, since the actions of Ukraine and Moldova pose a threat to regional security.