Mali has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine over the Wagner attack claims

Mali says it has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine, after a military official suggested Kyiv played a role in deadly fighting near the Algerian border last month.

Dozens of Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner group soldiers have been killed in days of clashes with Tuareg rebels and rebels linked to al-Qaeda.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, said last week that the rebels had been given “necessary information” to carry out the attack.

Maliya’s top official, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, said his government was shocked to hear that and accused Ukraine of violating Mali’s sovereignty.

Yusov’s comments “acknowledge Ukraine’s involvement in the cowardly, treacherous and brutal attacks by armed terrorist groups” that led to the deaths of Malian soldiers, Col Maiga said in a statement.

Mali decided to end the relationship “immediately”, he said.

Last week, the Malian army admitted it was a “huge” loss during the previous few days of fighting that broke out on 25 July.

The clashes took place in the desert near Tinzaouaten, a northeastern city on the Algerian border.

Reports say that Malian and Russian troops were attacked by Tuareg rebels and fighters from the al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin while they were waiting for reinforcements, after withdrawing from Tinzaouaten.

Neither the Malian soldiers nor Wagner – which has become a group called Africa Corps – have given exact figures, but the number of deaths of Wagner fighters ranges from 20 to 80.

The loss of Russian assets is thought to be the worst Mali has suffered since it began helping the military government fight insurgents two years ago.

Wagner acknowledged the death of one of his commanders and the downing of a Russian helicopter in “intense fighting”, saying they were attacked by about 1,000 soldiers.

The Tuareg-led attackers said on Thursday they had killed 84 Wagner soldiers and 47 Malian soldiers.

More than a decade ago, Mali’s central government lost control of much of the north following a Tuareg rebellion, sparked by a demand for a separate state.

The country’s security has been further complicated by the involvement of Islamic militants in this war.

When they seized power through coups in 2020 and 2021, the military exposed the government’s inability to deal with the chaos.

The new junta severed Mali’s long-standing alliance with colonial France in favor of Russia, in an attempt to end the unrest.