Tuareg rebels increasingly rely on Ukrainian drones in war with Mali- Le Monde

Tureg rebels have been using Ukrainian drones to target Mali and their Wagner allies in an insurgency that worsened ties between Bamako and Algiers, French paper Le Monde said.

Malian forces have in recent months made inroads. Backed by Russian Wagner militias, they pushed Tuareg CSP rebels to seek refuge in southern Algeria.

CSP, a group of Tuareg armed groups in the Azawad area in northern Mali, have been vocal in publicizing their use of drones to target Malian troops.

On Friday, they said they hit a group of Wagner armed men in northern Mali.

“In September, similar attacks had already targeted the same camp at Goundam, as well as Léré, 150 kilometres to the southwest, where Wagner’s men are also stationed. The modus operandi is the same each time: Light quadcopter drones with four rotors, equipped with a homemade release system, drop small explosive charges on their targets from the air, then leave the area,” le Monde reported.

The paper recalled that the CSP used drones for the first time in July, backed by a land assault on Mali soldiers and Wagner group allies in the battle of Tin Zaouatine, leading to one of the heaviest setbacks for the Malian army since the surge of the conflict about a year ago.

Mali accused Algeria of acting in connivance with the Tuareg rebels and cut ties with Ukraine after a Ukrainian official said his country backed the CSP.