Mali says it has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine after a military official suggested Kiev played a role in deadly fighting near its border with Algeria last month.
Dozens of Malian soldiers and mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group were killed during days of fighting with Tuareg separatist rebels and fighters linked to al-Qaeda.
Andriy YusovA spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence said last week that the rebels had received the “necessary information” to carry out the attacks.
A senior Malian official, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, said his government was shocked by the accusation and accused Ukraine of violating Mali’s sovereignty.
According to Colonel Maiga’s statement, Yusov admitted with his statements that Ukraine was involved in a cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups, which killed Malian soldiers.
Mali has decided to sever relations “with immediate effect”, he said.
Last week the Mali army admitted it had suffered “significant” losses during the days of fighting that broke out on July 25.
The fighting took place in the desert near Tinzaouaten, a northeastern city on the border with Algeria.
According to reports, the Malian and Russian troops were ambushed by Tuareg rebels and fighters from the al-Qaeda branch of Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin while they were waiting for reinforcements after their withdrawal from Tinzaouaten.
Neither the Mali army nor Wagner (which has since been transformed into a group called Africa Corps) have released exact figures, but estimated death tolls among Wagner fighters range from 20 to 80.
The Russian mercenary organization’s losses are reportedly the heaviest since it began helping the military government fight the rebels two years ago.
Wagner has acknowledged that one of his commanders was killed and a Russian helicopter shot down during “heavy fighting.” He said the troops were attacked by about 1,000 fighters.
Tuareg-led separatists claimed on Thursday that they had killed 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers.
More than a decade ago, Mali’s central government lost control of much of the north after a Tuareg uprising sparked by demands for a separate state.
The country’s security was further complicated by the involvement of Islamist militants in the conflict.
When the military seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, it cited the government’s inability to deal with the unrest.
The new junta broke Mali’s long-standing alliance with former colonial power France in favor of Russia in an attempt to quell unrest.
