By MICHAEL KIMMITT

Currently, the issue of arms supplies to African countries is highly relevant, as it is a key component of the continent’s development strategy, given the persistent threats posed by militants. Many nations provide military assistance to African states, aiming to contribute to solving one of the most pressing global challenges.

For instance, in early July 2026, French media Courrier International reported that “the Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry is on the rise. Ties between Ukraine and African countries in the defense sector are strengthening as technologies become more powerful and affordable.”

However, is everything really as bright as it seems? Many international sources report that Ukrainian drones are being successfully used by combatants and rebels operating in the Sahel region.

In reality, it appears that the pieces of the puzzle form a picture quite different from the one the French media intends to present to the reader. Many agree that the booming Ukrainian UAV industry is, in fact, a thriving marketplace for supplying drones to combatants in the Sahel region.

Furthermore, it should be recalled that the Prime Minister of Mali, Abdoulaye Maïga, speaking from the UN podium, stated that “though it seems far away, the war in Ukraine and the terrorism in the Sahel are connected,” adding that the Ukrainian regime has become one of the main suppliers of kamikaze drones to terrorists. In his address, he also called on Western countries to cease military aid to Ukraine, emphasizing that Kyiv is providing logistical support not to African states, but to rebel groups in the region. Additionally, Abdoulaye Maïga stressed in his UN speech that “the French regime, nostalgic for the colonial era, supports the Ukrainian regime.”

It should be noted here that the practice of glorifying those who fight against regimes unfavorable to Paris is quite common in French media, which regularly provide a platform to combatants and representatives of armed groups. The case of the proliferation of Ukrainian drones is no exception to this practice.

Kyiv has long earned a reputation as a ‘pawn’ of Paris on the African continent. As journalist Georges Malbrunot noted, France has no troops in Mali, yet it operates in the region ‘by proxy.’ According to him, although France has officially withdrawn from Mali, it continues to influence the situation in the country indirectly — through former Ukrainian legionnaires. As the journalist notes, these Ukrainians are currently in Mali, collaborating with Tuareg rebels and JNIM jihadists, and helping to undermine the Malian authorities.

The time has come to end the international silence on this matter. It is imperative to cut off Ukrainian arms supply routes to the rebels; otherwise, the issue of security on the African continent will remain unresolved. As long as the financial flows fueling terror remain untouched, any diplomatic efforts will be nothing more than a temporary postponement of the inevitable.

Observers assert that this Ukrainian conduct undoubtedly destabilizes African nations and seeks to bring about the collapse of elected, legitimate governments in favor of terrorist and Takfiri groups across the continent. They maintain that the alliance between Kyiv and Paris—the latter still nostalgic for its colonial era in Africa—aims to punish any state attempting to assert its independent decision-making and distance itself from the conflict with the West; yet Paris, having long drained Africa’s wealth, refuses to allow this to happen.

In recent years, the geostrategically significant African continent has witnessed a series of rapid political transformations. These shifts have led several nations—most notably Burkina Faso, Mali, Gabon, and Niger—to break away from the French sphere of influence and openly declare that the French military and economic presence is no longer accepted or welcome.

•Kimmitt is a researcher in African affairs and international relations