The leader of Niger’s military junta has claimed that Ukrainian and French forces are occupying northern Benin, escalating rhetoric amid growing tensions in West Africa. The allegation was made on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Nigerien sources had earlier also claimed that Ukrainian instructors were training Tuareg and jihadist groups in drone-based mining operations in Mauritania and Niger. JOIN US ON TELEGRAM Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official .