Mali's foreign minister has accused Ukraine of supporting armed groups in the Sahel and called for greater African control over the region's security, economy and natural resources. Mali's Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, used his address to the United Nations General Debate to defend the country's growing focus on strategic autonomy and its partnership with Burkina Faso and Niger.

Speaking on behalf of Mali's transitional government, Diop said the country would continue to cooperate with foreign partners but would not accept what he described as outside dictates.

"We do not accept dictates here," Diop told the General Assembly. "Rather, we seek sincere and healthy cooperation and partnership conducted in mutual respect."

His speech placed Mali's security crisis at the centre of its foreign policy, with the minister accusing unnamed foreign actors of supporting armed groups operating in the Sahel.

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He specifically accused Ukraine of providing support to terrorist groups in the region.

"Following Ukraine's initial statement in 2024 in which it acknowledged support for terrorist groups operating in the Sahel, that country publicly reiterated the highest level of state is interference in Africa and beyond our states," Diop said.

He added that, according to Mali, "other independent sources also corroborate these unacceptable actions by Ukraine".

"Here we have a country which claims to be protecting its territorial integrity whereas in Africa, in the Sahel, it provides clear support to terrorist groups and other harmful groups which undermine the territorial integrity of our countries," he said.

Diop said Mali could not remain silent over what it described as foreign involvement in its security crisis.

"Given our history, the international community, in particular Africa, cannot just remain silent in the face of what was being done by Ukraine," he said.

He described Ukraine as "just a visible part of the iceberg" in what he said was an effort to destabilise Mali and weaken its determination to break away from its colonial past.

The minister said terrorism affecting the Sahel was being supported from outside the region and was operating through several channels.

"Terrorism, which is nurtured and supported from outside, does it in three ways," he said.

The first, he said, was through armed attacks on civilian populations.

The second was economic pressure, while the third involved what he called "organised and systematic disinformation campaigns".

Diop referred to attacks carried out on 25 April and 4 July 2026 in several locations in Mali, saying they caused numerous casualties.

He said the attacks demonstrated what Mali viewed as a growing connection between different armed groups.

"The coordinated attacks of 25th April and 4th July 2026 in several locations in Mali caused numerous casualties and they demonstrate the existence of the dangerous connection that we've become increasingly aware of," he said.

According to Diop, the country was again facing a situation similar to the crisis that emerged in 2012, with terrorist and separatist armed groups joining forces against state institutions and civilians.

"So the scenario we witnessed in 2012 is repeating itself now with terrorist groups and so-called separatist armed groups now forming an openly terrorist coalition against Mali institutions and populations," he said.

He argued that previous regional and international military interventions had failed to resolve the security crisis.

"Regional and international responses, including the deployment of international forces, have failed to hold to these complex security crises and massacres affecting the Sahelian populations," Diop said.

Against that background, he defended the creation of the Confederation of Sahel States, known as the AES, bringing together Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The three countries established the confederation on 6 July 2024 in Niamey, he said, after their leaders decided to take greater responsibility for the security and future of their countries.

"Our three heads of state took the historic decision on 6th July 2024 in Niamey to create the Confederation of Sahel States so as to take responsibility for the fate of our nations," Diop said.

He said the bloc had made progress since its creation and reaffirmed the determination of its three governments to continue fighting terrorism.

"The Malian delegation fully endorses that statement that will be delivered by His Excellency Mr. Traore, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, on behalf of the Confederation of Sahel States," he said.

The Malian minister said Malian forces were fighting alongside the AES unified force, with support from Russia.

"Malian forces, on their own and also within the AES Unified Force, and with the support of the Russian Federation, are today on the front line against imposed terrorism," he said.

"I would even go so far as to say it's a hybrid war by proxy whose implications extend beyond our region."

Diop said Mali remained willing to work with international partners, provided they respected the sovereignty and strategic choices of the three Sahel states.

He said cooperation must take into account the interests of local populations.

"The three AES member countries remain open to cooperation with all partners who respect our main principles governing our countries," he said.

Those principles, he added, included respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the countries' right to choose their own strategic partnerships.

Mali's foreign policy, he said, would continue to be based on good neighbourly relations, mutual respect and non-interference in the affairs of other states.

Diop also paid tribute to civilians killed in terrorist attacks and to Mali's security forces.

He separately paid tribute to General Sadio Camara, Mali's former defence minister, describing his legacy in terms of "patriotism, courage, and sacrifice".

The government, Diop said, was also seeking to bring former armed-group members back into civilian life.

He said thousands of former combatants who met the required conditions had either joined the defence and security forces or entered civilian employment.

But security was only one part of Mali's push for greater autonomy.

Diop said the country also wanted greater control over its economy and natural resources, including gold and lithium.

"Mali's sovereignty is very precious to us, and it is not negotiable," he said.

"Sovereignty is not limited to defending our territory."

"It also means we are controlling our economic choices, that we are managing and developing our natural resources, mining resources, our gold and lithium, strengthening our productive sectors, and also creating greater opportunities for our youth."

He said the government remained committed to its Malikura 2063 vision and the National Strategy for Emergence and Sustainable Development 2024-2033.

The programmes, he said, were intended to build a sovereign state, a competitive economy and a society in which citizens could live with dignity.

"The government placed at the heart of its action economic recovery and public welfare because they're essential to lasting peace and stability," Diop said.

He also argued that Mali and other African countries could not rely on international assistance alone to finance their development.

"The international assistance will never be enough and we need to mobilize our own resources," he said.

"We need to have confidence that we will be able to have other sources of funding so that our country can move forward."

Diop said Mali would continue to rely primarily on its own resources while keeping its doors open to countries and institutions willing to work with it.

He said government spending was increasingly being directed towards productive investment, basic services, training and employment, particularly for young people and women.

The minister also linked economic development to local processing of Mali's natural resources.

"Mali intends to continue its national re-foundation to guarantee security, justice, well-being and prosperity for all of its citizens," he said.

On regional and international issues, Diop expressed support for the Palestinian people and their demand for recognition as a state.

He also said the global political system was undergoing a major transformation.

"The question is no longer whether the world is moving towards multipolarity, but rather which actors will shape this new order and how will they cooperate to meet the aspirations of people throughout the planet we share," he said.

For Mali, he said, the answer should be cooperation rather than confrontation.

"And here we're talking about cooperation, not confrontation, and not the law of the strongest to govern the world," Diop said.

He said Mali's foreign policy would focus on sovereign equality between states, diversified partnerships and the defence of national interests.

"Our objective here is strategic autonomy for Mali, strategic autonomy for the Confederation of the Sahel States, strategic autonomy for Africa in both security and development areas," he said.

Diop stressed that strategic autonomy did not mean cutting Africa off from the rest of the world.

"And this autonomy does not mean a rupture," he said.

"Rather, it seeks to make Africa into a credible and indispensable partner for global stability and prosperity."

He also highlighted climate change and desertification as major threats to Mali and the wider Sahel.

"These affect agriculture and livelihoods," he said. "They also - we have to acknowledge it - are threatening peace and security."

He called for greater access to climate finance, investment in adaptation and the development of technologies suited to the region.

Mali also wants stronger links between efforts to fight desertification, improve food security, manage water and prevent conflict.

On artificial intelligence, Diop said African countries should not simply become consumers of new technology.

"AI offers enormous opportunities, and we acknowledge that, but also significant risks," he said.

"We must not simply consume technology."

"We must master it, adapt it to our realities, and contribute to its development."

He said Mali was working towards greater "digital and technological sovereignty" and referred to the creation of a national centre for artificial intelligence and robotics.

Migration was another issue raised by the Malian minister.

He said Mali was simultaneously a country of origin, transit and destination for migrants and argued that human movement should not be treated only as a security problem.

"It is important in this room to say it, to repeat it, that for us, human mobility is not a threat," Diop said.

"It is a benefit, and all of the countries in this assembly have benefited from migration."

He called for the rights of migrants to be respected under international conventions.

In his closing remarks, Diop returned to the future of the United Nations and called for reforms to make the organisation more representative.

He said the UN was at a crossroads and needed to become "more just, more representative, and truly the service of all of the people in the world without distinction".

He also called for stronger African representation in international decision-making institutions, including multilateral financial institutions.

"This is an essential condition to restoring the trust of member states and people in the organization," Diop said.

"Mali reaffirms its readiness to contribute to common efforts of the international community for a world which is more peaceful, more secure, more just, more prosperous, and finally, more united."