Côte d’Ivoire’s Ahoua Don Mello, vice president of the BRICS Alliance, told Sputnik and other media that Ukraine is using West Africa as a “kind of second front” in its conflict with Russia by allegedly training local militias and supplying them with drones, explosives, and modern weaponry. He argued there is “a direct connection between what is happening in Ukraine and what is occurring in West Africa.”
Don Mello claimed the increased sophistication of weapons among regional armed groups reflects this growing external interference, suggesting Ukraine’s involvement corresponds with Russia’s expanding influence across the Sahel, where it supports several anti-terrorism efforts.