Mali Breaks Off Diplomatic Ties with Ukraine
Mali has severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine after Ukraine's military intelligence agency (GUR) implicated Kyiv in last month's deadly ambush on Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters near the Algerian border....
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Facts
- Mali has severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine after Ukraine's military intelligence agency (GUR) implicated Kyiv in last month's deadly ambush on Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters near the Algerian border.[1]
- On July 25, Tuareg rebels and militants from the al-Qaida affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin clashed with Malian and Russian soldiers near Tinzaouaten. In the ensuing battle, the Malian army suffered 'significant' losses, while Russia's Wagner group reportedly lost at least 20 mercenaries.[2]
- The controversy erupted when GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov on July 29 said that the Malian rebels had been given 'all the information they needed, which allowed [them] to carry out their operation against the Russian war criminals.'[3]
- On Sunday, the Malian government condemned Ukraine for violating Mali's sovereignty. It also accused Ukraine of supporting international terrorism, alleging it 'constitute[s] a clear aggression' against Mali.[4]
- Mali has been grappling with Tuareg separatists and Islamist terrorists for over a decade. The nation's military leaders, who seized power in a 2020 coup, have replaced French and US military support with Russian fighters to tackle separatists and jihadist forces.[5]
Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Türkiye Today, [3]Al Jazeera, [4]Reuters and [5]AOL.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by AA. Ukraine's involvement in a cowardly, treacherous, and brutal terrorist attack in July is not only deplorable, it's an instance of unacceptable foreign interference in Mali's domestic affairs. Bamako can't maintain diplomatic relations with aggressors who actively support terrorist groups in the region.
- Narrative B, as provided by Le Monde.fr. Ukraine provides strategic intelligence to Tuareg fighters to combat Russian war criminals perpetrating war crimes and widespread looting in northern Mali. Moscow also extracts Malian resources to fund its war against Ukraine; Kyiv is within its rights to target Russian forces and defend its sovereignty.
