Senegal Condemns Ukrainian ‘Propaganda’

Senegal slams Ukrainian ‘propaganda’, emphasizing the need for accurate information. Discover the details behind Senegal’s condemnation.

The Ukrainian ambassador has been summoned by Senegal for expressing admiration towards an assault on Russian military contractors in Mali.

Last month, the Ukrainian embassy was condemned by Senegal’s foreign ministry for allegedly supporting a terrorist attack against government forces and Russian military contractors in Mali. The Ministry accused Kiev of trying to destabilize this brotherly nation.”

In late July, a group of Malian soldiers and members from the Wagner private military company were attacked by Tuareg rebels close to Mali’s Algerian border. The assault resulted in several casualties. Recently, Andrey Yusov – spokesperson for Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency – revealed that his agents provided assistance to jihadists regarding the planning of this attack.

According to Yusov’s statement on Ukrainian television, the rebels obtained vital intelligence that facilitated a triumphant military assault against Russian war offenders. It was not simply data; it proved indispensable in executing their plan. Though he didn’t confirm whether or not Ukrainian personnel were involved in the mission, Yusov assured viewers that there will be more significant actions taken by them in the future.

After being posted on its Facebook page, the interview was removed from Ukraine’s embassy in Dakar. Ambassador Yuri Pivovarov had expressed his belief that war crimes and terrorism would not go unpunished by stating “there will certainly be other results.”

The Senegalese Foreign Ministry expressed on Saturday that they could not endorse any remarks or actions seeking to justify terrorism, particularly when it intends to unsettle a nation, especially one considered as brothers like Mali.

The ministry stated that Senegal, which upholds a stance of “constructive neutrality” in relation to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, will not permit any dissemination of propaganda from the ongoing media war to take place within its borders.

As per the statement, Pivovarov was called upon by the ministry to clarify his actions and was cautioned about “the responsibility of maintaining confidentiality, self-control, and abstaining from meddling that should accompany the gravity and dignity of his task.”

Since 2012, Mali has been consumed by a jihadist insurgency that has taken the lives of thousands and forcefully relocated more than 375,000 individuals, as per UN estimates. Despite a ten-year French military mission aimed at suppressing increased violence caused by Al-Qaeda and Islamic State units in surrounding Burkina Faso and Niger; unrest continues to grow throughout these countries. Following multiple coups d’état beginning in 2020 which led to regime change among their pro-Western leaders,Mali alongside its neighboring nations is now being governed under military rule.

At the beginning of this year, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso formed a confederation with the mutual goal of combating extremist threats. Alongside this alliance, all three nations have endeavored to enhance their security cooperation with Russia. According to reports, Wagner operatives are currently active in both Mali and Burkina Faso.

Despite not being a member of the alliance, Senegal is deemed amicable to both the US and France. Notwithstanding this fact, it maintains cordial ties with Mali in spite of sharing borders on its eastern side.