Due to remarks made about the Mali conflict, Niger severs diplomatic ties with Ukraine

Niger and Ukraine have cut diplomatic ties due to allegations of Niger’s support for militants engaged in lethal combat in Mali.

On Tuesday, the junta in Niger declared the breakup of diplomatic ties with Ukraine, citing remarks made by Ukrainian officials that seemed to back organizations engaged in violent conflicts in neighboring Mali.

These statements followed an event in July in northern Mali that involved Tuareg rebels claiming to have killed 47 Malian soldiers and 84 Wagner mercenaries. Since Wagner started helping the military forces in Mali fight militant groups two years ago, this incident represented its biggest setback to yet.

Niger’s spokesperson, Abdourahamane Amadou, said in a televised speech that the country decided to sever its ties with Ukraine out of support for Mali. This action comes after Mali decided on Sunday to break off relations with Ukraine after Andriy Yusov, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s military espionage agency, implied that rebels in Mali had obtained “necessary” information to carry out the attack.

Ukraine denied any backing for international terrorism and denounced Mali’s action as rash and shortsighted.

A video that appeared to endorse the attack in Mali was posted on the embassy’s Facebook page, and as a result, Senegal’s foreign minister summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Yurii Pyvovarov. Other West African countries also reacted negatively to Pyvovarov’s presence. This diplomatic gap arises from Ukraine’s continuous attempts to strengthen international alliances while also attempting to garner wider support, especially in the Global South.