Mali authorities have announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine over comments made by a representative of the main intelligence department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense about the conflict in the north of the country.
The African state of Mali has cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine. The country’s transitional government has accused Kyiv of helping Tuareg rebels defeat a group of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner PMC, calling it “support for international terrorism.” What is happening in Mali and what does Ukraine and Wagner PMC have to do with it?
Civil war in Mali
The armed conflict between the authorities of Mali and the Taureg separatist group began in 2012. Since then, the country has been in a state of crisis, mainly in the field of security and socio-economic development.
In 2020, the military, led by Colonel Assimi Goita, seized power in the country. They broke traditional ties with France and began rapprochement with the Russian Federation, which invited mercenaries from the Wagner PMC into the country.
The military set the task of establishing control over the entire territory of the country. In northern Mali, the Tauregs declared the independence of the territory of Azawad. Right now, the regular Malian army, Taureg rebels and various Islamic armed groups are engaged in the fighting. The regular army recruited Russians from the Wagner PMC for combat operations.
A blow to the Wagnerites
On August 2, rebels in northern Mali reported killing 84 Russian militants from the Wagner PMC and 47 soldiers of the Malian government army. It was the heaviest loss for a Russian PMC since Wagner intervened in the conflict in Mali two years ago to help the country’s military fight rebel groups.
GUR representative Andrey Yusov did not confirm Kyiv’s participation in the fighting, but on Ukrainian television on July 29 he said that Malian rebels had received information to carry out the attack.
“The rebels received the necessary information and not just the information that allowed them to conduct a successful military operation against Russian war criminals,” Yusov said.
On August 1, Yusov said that Russia began moving its military and terrorists from other parts of Africa to Mali after the Wagnerites were defeated by the Tuareg rebels.
protest Wrong
Mali’s ruling military said they were surprised by Yusov’s comments. The country’s transitional government has decided to immediately cut diplomatic relations with Ukraine.
“The actions taken by the Ukrainian authorities violate Mali’s sovereignty, exceed the scope of foreign interference, which in itself deserves condemnation, and constitute clear aggression against Mali and support for international terrorism,” the Malian government said.
The Foreign Minister of Senegal summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Pivovarov – because of a video on the embassy’s page in which, as the minister said, the ambassador expressed “unquestioning and unconditional support for an attack by terrorist” – in fact, he commented on the defeat of the Wagner PMC.
The reaction of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, in turn, called the decision of the Malian authorities to cut ties “short-sighted and hasty.”
“Ukraine unconditionally adheres to the norms of international law, the non-violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and strongly rejects the accusations of the transitional government of Mali of the alleged” Ukrainian support for on international terrorism,” the diplomatic department said in a statement. .
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed regret that the Malian government decided to cut ties “without conducting a thorough study of the facts and circumstances of the incident in northern Mali, and without providing any evidence of involvement of Ukraine in this event.” At the end of the statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it reserves the right to “take all necessary political and diplomatic response measures” in response to the actions of the Malian authorities.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported that its head Dmitry Kuleba went on a tour of Africa. He will visit three countries – Malawi, Zambia and Mauritius – to discuss “development of bilateral relations based on mutual respect” and efforts to restore a just peace for Ukraine.
At the same time, the British The Times, citing documents from the US National Security Agency, reports that the head of Ukrainian intelligence Kirill Budanov planned an attack on Wagner PMC militants in Mali last year year. It was noted that the attack on the Wagnerites in Mali took place as part of the GUR’s efforts to hunt down PMC militants abroad.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.