Explosive drones, inflatable vehicles: for several months, Malian Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) have been using asymmetric warfare methods learned from Ukrainian services to strike the Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries of the Africa Corps.

A discreet transfer of tactics that reshapes the military balance in the conflict between the Malian state and the FLA, a coalition of predominantly Tuareg armed independence groups created in November 2024, which claims the Azawad territory in the north of the country.

"Perhaps what binds us most to Ukraine is that, like us, it is suffering from Russian barbarism and imperialism. As such, we extend our hand to it, as we do to all free peoples, to support us," Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the Malian rebels, told AFP.

In July 2024, a Ukrainian military intelligence official, Andriy Yusov, implied that kyiv had provided information to the rebels so that they could carry out an attack, alongside the jihadists, which killed dozens of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers during fighting in Tinzaouatène (northeastern Mali).

"Ukraine wanted to impress its Western partners by claiming that it was helping rebels attack Russia in Africa, but it underestimated public opinion because the rebels are considered terrorists in the Sahel capitals," explains Ulf Laessing, director of the Sahel Program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali.

- "Specialized training in Ukraine" -

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, all ruled by sovereignist military juntas that have turned their backs on France to move closer to Russia, have severed diplomatic relations with kyiv, accusing it of supplying arms to the FLA.

"As far apart as they may seem, the war in Ukraine and terrorism in the Sahel have connections," Malian Prime Minister General Abdoulaye Maïga accused at the UN in late September.

"The Ukrainian regime has become one of the main suppliers of suicide drones to terrorist groups around the world," he said.

Ukraine and Malian rebels have always denied these accusations.

"We have received no material assistance from Ukraine, no drones, no weapons, no other equipment. Our strength lies in our determination, our ingenuity, and our ability to train and organize ourselves," the separatists' spokesman said.

However, "certain elements of the FLA received specialized training in Ukraine on the use of armed FPV ("First person view" in English, or immersion piloting) drones," confirms Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane.

"Back in the field, they significantly strengthened their operational skills and, in turn, trained other fighters in this strategic area. Today, this technological mastery is fully integrated into our combat capabilities," he adds.

These small flying machines, equipped with an explosive charge, are piloted in real time via a virtual reality headset. They allow Malian separatists to regularly carry out targeted attacks against Malian army convoys or bases housing Russian elements of the Africa Corps, a force composed of former Wagner mercenaries under the direct control of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

In February, the FLA claimed to have shot down a Malian helicopter in the north using a drone, which the Malian army denied, referring to "a terrorist drone (...) intercepted and recovered."

"Adopting this tactic allows the FLA to avoid a direct confrontation with the Malian army and the Africa Corps, which are better equipped," explains Rida Lyammouri, a researcher at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS).

- Inflatable pick-ups -

Another innovation from Ukraine: fiber optic drones - controlled by a very thin cable that can travel tens of kilometers and not by radio waves - are almost impossible to jam.

In July, the rebels released images of one of these drones, which are now believed to be an integral part of their arsenal.

In addition, in its conflict with Russia, the Ukrainian army also uses inflatable decoys, imitating tanks or defense systems, to attract Russian strikes.

In July, Mali displayed fake inflatable pickup trucks believed to belong to the separatists to deceive Malian drones, something the FLA does not officially acknowledge.

"Turkish drones gave the Malian army and its Russian partner an advantage over the Tuareg rebels when they captured Kidal (a rebel stronghold) in 2023. The FLA and the jihadists followed suit, using commercially available drones that they improved. But they remain inferior to the Turkish models," notes Ulf Laessing.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM, its Arabic acronym) also uses explosive drones to strike Malian forces.