The Mauritanian government on Monday denied allegations circulated by international media about the passage of Ukrainian weapons and fighters through its territory to Mali. This statement came after Russian Alexander Ivanov, director of the ‘International Security Officers Association,’ claimed that Ukrainian equipment and fighters were moving through poorly guarded border areas with Mauritania towards Mali. Ivanov also alleged that Ukrainians operate secretly in Africa, including via the Ukrainian embassy in Mauritania. Large areas in northern Mali are experiencing security disturbances, with armed groups occasionally attacking Malian army barracks supported by Moscow, while Bamako accuses Kyiv of supporting terrorism in the Sahel region. In response, Mauritania stated that these claims lack concrete evidence and emphasized its long-standing strategy to prevent and combat violent extremism, which has helped it avoid regional security slips and become a model based on the belief that Mauritania’s internal security is inseparable from regional security.

Mauritania also highlighted its commitment to collective security in the Sahel through quiet support to its neighbors during times of fragility via logistical aid, sensitive information exchange, and discreet mediation. Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mauritania noted it voted in the UN General Assembly in favor of condemning violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity (October 2023) and opposed Russia’s suspension from the Human Rights Council (April 2022), believing sanctions and isolation policies prolong crises rather than end them. Some viewed this stance as double standards, others as principled loyalty, but Mauritania sees it as clarity of thought. On February 24, Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine, followed by international rejection and economic sanctions on Moscow, which demands Kyiv abandon plans to join military alliances, a move Ukraine considers interference in its sovereignty.