Mali has severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine following accusations that Kyiv was involved in recent deadly clashes near the Algerian border.
The fighting, which occurred last month, resulted in the deaths of dozens of Malian soldiers and mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group. The clashes were between Malian forces and Tuareg separatist rebels as well as fighters linked to al-Qaeda.
Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov suggested last week that the rebels had been provided with “necessary information” for their attacks.
This led Mali’s Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga to accuse Ukraine of violating Mali’s sovereignty and described Yusov’s statements as an admission of Ukraine’s involvement in what he called a “cowardly, treacherous, and barbaric” attack by terrorist groups.
In response, Mali has decided to cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine “with immediate effect.”
Last week, Mali’s army acknowledged suffering “significant” losses in the clashes that began on July 25 near Tinzaouaten, a town on the Algerian border.
Reports indicate that Malian and Russian forces were ambushed by Tuareg rebels and fighters from the al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin while they were waiting for reinforcements after retreating from Tinzaouaten.
Neither Mali’s military nor Wagner, which has since rebranded as the Africa Corps, have provided specific casualty figures, but estimates suggest that between 20 and 80 Wagner fighters were killed.
The Russian mercenary outfit’s losses are thought to be the heaviest it has suffered in Mali since it began helping the military government fight the insurgents two years ago.
Wagner has acknowledged that one of its commanders was killed and a Russian helicopter was downed in “fierce fighting”, saying they had been attacked by around 1,000 fighters.
Tuareg-led separatists claimed on Thursday they had killed 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers.
Over a decade ago, Mali’s central government lost control of much of the northern region due to a Tuareg rebellion, which sought a separate state.
This situation was further complicated by the involvement of Islamist militants.
The military, which took power in coups in 2020 and 2021, cited the previous government’s failure to address the unrest as a key reason for their takeover.
The new junta ended Mali’s longstanding alliance with former colonial power France and turned to Russia in an effort to stabilize the situation and quell the ongoing conflict.