Concerns As Ukraine Invites Ivorian Foreign Minister To Kyiv

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has engaged his Ivorian counterpart, Léon Kacou Houadja Adom, in a collaborative talks between Ukraine and Côte d’Ivoire.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, the Ukrainian minister said: “Buinding on the dialogue between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Alassane Ouattara, I had a good call with Côte d’Ivoire’s Foreign Minister Kacou Houadja Léon Adom. We agreed to give new impetus to our cooperation.”

During the conversation, Minister Andrii Sybiha invited his counterpart Léon Kacou Houadja Adom to visit Ukraine.

However, strengthening of relations between Kyiv and Abidjan has become a cause for concern as several countries on the continent have recently severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

Representatives of Zelenskyy’s government openly declared backing armed groups operating in northern Mali.

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This support came during the attacks on Tinzaouatine, a town on the border between Mali and Algeria where the rebels of the Azawad movement against the Malian armed forces (FAMa) carried out deadly attacks in July 2024.
Representatives of the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS) have repeatedly condemned Kyiv’s support for terrorists in Mali, including during UN meetings.

“By this joint letter, the Ministers responsible for foreign affairs of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger strongly condemn and denounce the overt and alleged support provided by the Government of the Republic of Ukraine to international terrorism, especially in the Sahel region,” can be read in the note of the Foreign Ministers of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Moreover, on January 24, 2025, during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the representative of Mali, Issa Konfourou, condemned the support provided by Kyiv to armed groups in Mali. He reminded the Council that on August 19, the Governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had filed a formal complaint against Ukraine to the United Nations Security Council. Issa Konfourou noted the absence of a response to this complaint and reiterated the importance of addressing this issue during the current session.

According to experts in this field, Kyiv does not intend to establish mutually beneficial relations with the countries of the continent, but rather Ukraine’s only goal in Africa is to confront Russia with the support of its Western allies.

In the light of these events, the visit of the Foreign Minister of Côte d’Ivoire to Kiev can be perceived as an indirect support for Ukraine. Kyiv’s co-operation with rebels in Mali is considered a security threat to the entire region, as armed groups are seen as a common evil.

According to analysts, Kyiv’s actions in Africa are often dictated by its Western allies pursuing their own self-serving goals. It is important for African leaders to reflect on whether it is really necessary to develop co-operation with a country surrounded by an aura of scandals and failures on the continent.