Following Mali, Niger breaks diplomatic relations with Ukraine

Niger informed about the "immediate" severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of supporting "terrorist groups". Mali took a similar step two days before.

This is reported by Alarabiya News.

Both states decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine after Tuareg rebels in northern Mali killed dozens of Russian mercenaries of the PMC “Wagner”.

Mali and Niger accuse Ukraine of supporting "terrorist groups". Nigerʼs government spokesman Amadou Abdramane said that his country will appeal to the UN Security Council to discuss Ukraineʼs "aggression".

"The Government of the Republic of Niger, expressing full solidarity with the Government and people of Mali, has decided in full sovereignty to sever diplomatic relations between the Republic of Niger and Ukraine with immediate effect," Abdramane noted.

He noted that the government of Niger learned with "great surprise and deep indignation" about the "subversive and unacceptable" remarks of Ukrainian intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov — it refers to his statement that the Malian rebels "received the necessary information" that helped them carry out a successful attack on " Wagnerians". Mali and Senegal were outraged by these words earlier.

For Mali, such a statement became a reason to break diplomatic relations with Ukraine, accusing it of complicity in the attack, as well as aggression and undermining Maliʼs sovereignty. Breaking off diplomatic relations with Ukraine, Mali stated it agreed with Russiaʼs assertions about the "neo-Nazi and criminal nature of the Ukrainian government, which is an ally of international terrorism."

Before that, the Senegalese foreign ministry summoned the ambassador of Ukraine Yuriy Pyvovarov because of his comment about his alleged support for the attack on the "Wagnerians". Mali also mentioned this, severing diplomatic relations with Kyiv. It is not known what exactly the ambassador said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has already reacted to Maliʼs decision to break diplomatic relations with Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called this step "short-sighted and hasty."

The department stressed that Ukraine adheres to the norms of international law, the inviolability of sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and rejects Maliʼs accusation of allegedly "supporting international terrorism."

Burkina Faso is likely to be the next state to break diplomatic relations with Ukraine — on July 6, the military juntas of the African countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed their own confederation — The Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

The defeat of the PMC “Wagner” mercenaries in Mali

On July 28, it became known that the Tuareg rebels killed and wounded dozens of mercenaries of the PMC “Wagner”. During the shooting, the author of the famous "Wagner" Telegram channel “Gray Zone” Nikita with the call sign "White" [“Belyi”] died.

The commander of the Russian mercenaries in Mali Anton Yelizarov with the call sign "Lotus" also died. He participated in the invasion of Ukraine and led the assaults near Popasna, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Vuhlehirs TPP and Soledar. Before that, he killed people in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Syria. “Lotus” has the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, as well as "DPR" and "LPR". “Lotus” and “White” tortured Ukrainians, something they were very proud of.

Tuareg rebels published an appeal to Ukrainians in Ukrainian on July 28. They expressed solidarity with Ukraine in the fight against Russia and offered to hand over the captured mercenaries of the PMC "Wagner".

The next day, the death of the Wagnerians in Mali was confirmed by the Russian Telegram channel “Razgruzka Wagner”, which is associated with the leadership of the PMC “Wagner”.

• The Tuareg are an ethnic group that inhabits the Sahara region, in particular part of northern Mali. The group rebelled against the Malian junta government in 2012, but the rebellion was later taken over by Islamist groups. In 2015, it signed a peace agreement with Mali, but at the end of 2022, the CSP-PSD withdrew from the negotiations. The PMC "Wagner" is fighting against the Tuareg, in particular.
• Mali, like Niger, is ruled by a military government that came to power in a coup dʼétat. Both countries broke defense agreements with France and turned to Russia for military assistance. Russian mercenaries from the PMC "Wagner" have been present in Mali since 2021 — they were called there by the military junta "for security". The "Wagnerians" are also present in several African countries and are trying to have military, economic and political influence there.