The military rulers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have written to the United Nations Security Council to denounce what they said was Ukraine’s support for rebel groups in West Africa’s Sahel region, according to Mali’s foreign ministry.

In a joint letter, the three countries denounced the “open and assumed support of the Republic of Ukraine for terrorism internationally, particularly in the Sahel”.

The countries asked the UN to “take responsibility” for Ukraine’s actions and to prevent “subversive acts” that threaten regional and continental stability.

The letter was dated 19 August and circulated to the 15-member Security Council the following day, diplomats told Reuters news agency.

The text was also posted on the Malian foreign ministry’s social media account.

The complaint marks a new stage in the deterioration of relations between these countries and Ukraine, according to experts.

Accusations

The row arose over comments by a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency about fighting in northern Mali that killed dozens of Malian soldiers and mercenaries from the Russian Wagner group in late July.

Both ethnic Tuareg separatists and jihadist insurgents operate in the region.

Speaking to Ukrainian media, spokesperson Andriy Yusov said rebels had received “all the necessary information they needed” to conduct “a successful military operation against Russian perpetrators of war crimes”.

Mali interpreted the remarks as an admission of Ukraine’s direct involvement in the conflict, accusing the country of supporting terrorist groups.