Investigative report reveal alleged intermediary in link between Ukraine and Sahel rebel groups as Niger severs ties days after Mali

Days after Mali announced an end to diplomatic relations with Ukraine, the European nation suffered a new blow on the diplomatic scene as Niger announced it had cut ties as well. The decision follows damning revelations about Ukraine’s support for terrorist groups operating in Mali.

Niger’s government condemned Ukraine’s actions as unacceptable and a clear threat to regional security and stability. Niger’s government also called on the international community to condemn Ukraine’s actions and support efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel region.

Ukraine had earlier responded to Mali’s decision, claiming it was hasty and lacked evidence.

However, investigations published on an online platform covering events in the Sahel have pointed to a known Tuareg author as the link in relations between Ukrainian authorities and rebels in the Sahel.

Akli Sh’kka is alleged to be the main link between Ukraine and the rebels in the Sahel. A graduate in International Relations from the University of London, Akli Sh’kka, it is claimed, now serves as an intermediary for Ukraine in its relations with the Cadre stratégique permanent (CSP), a coalition of separatist factions, in northern Mali.

Also called Amacharoudj Akli or Akli Sheika Bessadah, he is said to be a journalist of Libyan origin and founder of the NGO, Imouhagh peace organisation, of which he is the spokesperson. He is also said to be the founder and general director of a satellite channel, “Tomasit”, created in 2014 in Paris.

Sh’kka is said to be a member of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and was a reporter for the French-Israeli channel, i24 News, owned by Patrick Drahi and directed by Frank Melloul. He is known to be close to Bilal Ag Acherif, the Secretary-General of the MNLA.

His popular book, Man of The Sahara, according an Amazon review, “explores the historical, and ongoing effect of French colonisation on these indigenous people. The human rights violations and abuse they suffer. It considers the lack of regional democracy; corruption in successive governments, and related terrorism. All of which contributed to the failure of Azawad; the fragmentation of a nation, and destruction of its culture.”

The review says Sh’kka’s book “is a call to end the conflict of more than 60 years in northern Mali, and its surrounding areas,” but Sh’kka’s stance, as spokesperson for the Taureg Youth Movement in 2012, revealed his active role in pushing the conflict against the Malian authorities. In an interview with Al Jazeera in 2012, he said the rebellion was an indication that “the Taureg people are trying to stand up for their rights.”

His relentless opposition to the Malian authorities has been a focal point of his advocacy for Tuareg rights. In one of his tweets on his X account on June 10, he wrote; “My recent visit to Azawad & meeting with Azawad brave fighters. Our fight against Malian, Wagner & terrorists has not yet started. We’re not in a rush. We don’t pay salaries to our fighters who’re totally committed to the cause,” clearly flaunting his support for the conflict.

Sh’kka actively posted photos of dead and captured Malian and Wagner soldiers on his X page after the Tinzaouaten attack by the rebels, celebrating the ambush in his posts.

According to the investigative reports, Sh’kka is the intermediary of the Ukrainian instructors who provide support to fighters of the CSP through one of their Embassies in a country bordering Mali.

In March of this year, he is said to have organised the trip to Ukraine and Poland of several CSP terrorists to receive training on the use of kamikaze drones and combat techniques. According to a security source, a second wave of terrorists is preparing to make the same trip for the same training.

The attack on Tinzaouaten, sources say, has exposed this new partnership between Ukraine and fighters of the CSP. Hence the statement by the spokesperson of the Ukrainian intelligence service (GUR) and the video of support for the rebels shared on the page of the Ukrainian Embassy in Senegal.

Following the operation to recapture the entire territory, the departure of all foreign forces and the rejection of the Algiers agreement, Akli Sh’kka reportedly increased the number of publications in support of the Tuareg rebels and actively promoted campaigns accessing the Malian armed forces of atrocities against civilians.