Mali’s interim government has announced that it is breaking off diplomatic relations with Ukraine. The measure was taken in response to officials in Kiev demonstrating support for Tuareg militants and admitting to Ukraine’s complicity in a recent terrorist attack that killed Malian soldiers and Russian military contractors.
Last month, a military convoy carrying Malian defense and security forces and Russian Wagner Group contractors was ambushed by Tuareg insurgents in the vicinity of the village of Tinzaouaten near the border with Algeria. Scores of servicemen were killed and multiple trucks were destroyed by the militants.
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Following the attack, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence service (GUR), Andrey Yusov, stated on Ukrainian TV that his agents assisted the rebels with “necessary information, and not just information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals,” and vowed that “there will be more to come.” Ukraine’s embassy in Dakar posted the interview on its Facebook page, along with a comment from Ambassador Yury Pivovarov, who said, “there will certainly be other results.” The video has since been deleted.
In a statement released by local media on Sunday, the Malian government expressed shock over Kiev’s involvement in “a cowardly, treacherous, and barbaric attack.” It added that Pivovarov’s remarks show “his country’s support for international terrorism, particularly in Mali.”
The transitional government stated that Kiev’s actions “violate the sovereignty of Mali,” “go beyond the scope of foreign interference,” and constitute a breach of international law.
In response to “Ukraine’s acknowledged and assumed involvement in the blatant aggression against Mali,” Bamako implemented several measures, including “the immediate severance of diplomatic relations” between Mali and Ukraine, while initiating legal proceedings following the statements of Yusov and Pivovarov, which “constitute acts of terrorism and advocacy of terrorism.” It added that precautions will be taken “to prevent any destabilization of Mali from African states, particularly from Ukrainian embassies,” and “a formal alert” will be issued “to regional and international bodies, as well as to states supporting Ukraine, indicating that this country has openly and publicly displayed its support for terrorism.”
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The Malian government stressed its neutral position regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict and said it supports Moscow’s warnings to the world over “the neo-Nazi and villainous nature of the Ukrainian authorities.”
For over a decade, Mali has been embroiled in a jihadist insurgency, which has left thousands dead and over 375,000 displaced, according to UN estimates. A French military operation failed to quell the violence. The unrest spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, prompting the three African nations to form the Alliance of Sahel States to combat terrorism. The bloc has also sought increased security cooperation with Russia.