Ukraine denies involvement in Mali rebel attack
Ukraine has denied playing a role in a recent terrorist attack in Mali that killed soldiers and Russian Wagner Group contractors, condemning the West African nation’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Kiev as shortsighted.
Mali’s transitional government announced on Sunday that it was “immediately” breaking off diplomatic relations with Ukraine in response to comments by Kiev officials in support of Tuareg militants who carried out the deadly assault last month.
In a statement late on Monday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the Sahel state’s “hasty” decision to sever ties “without conducting a thorough study of the facts and circumstances” of the incident, and “without providing any evidence of Ukraine’s involvement.”
Tuareg fighters ambushed a military convoy carrying Malian defense forces and Wagner contractors in the village of Tinzaouaten near the Algerian border in late July, killing scores of servicemen and destroying multiple trucks. Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence service (GUR), stated on Ukrainian TV that his agents had provided “necessary information” to the rebels, allowing them to conduct a “successful military operation.”
He vowed that there would be “more to come.” Ukraine’s embassy in Senegal posted the interview on its Facebook page, along with a comment from Ambassador Yury Pivovarov, who said: “There will certainly be other results.” The video has since been deleted.
Bamako expressed “deep shock” at the officials’ “subversive” remarks, declaring that they demonstrate Ukraine’s “support for terrorism in Africa, in the Sahel, and more specifically in Mali.”
“Mali fully endorses the diagnosis made by the Russian Federation, which for years has been warning the world of the neo-Nazi and villainous character of the Ukrainian authorities, now allies of international terrorism and shows no willingness to implement the Ukrainian people’s aspirations for peace and stability,” the Malian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Bamako announced a series of measures, including legal proceedings, in response to Yusov and Pivovarov’s comments, claiming they “constitute acts of terrorism and advocacy of terrorism.” The landlocked state also urged other African countries and the international community to denounce Ukraine’s actions, which “threaten the stability” of the continent.
“Ukraine unconditionally adheres to the norms of international law, the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
“Ukraine reserves the right to take all necessary political and diplomatic measures in response to unfriendly actions of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali,” it added.
Mali has been embroiled in a jihadist insurgency since 2012, which, according to the UN, has killed thousands and displaced over 375,000 people. A French military operation failed to end the violence, which has spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. Earlier this year, the three former French colonies formed the Alliance of Sahel States to combat terrorism. They have also sought increased security cooperation with Russia.
On Tuesday, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS condemned the attacks on the former French colony while voicing “strong” disapproval of “any foreign interference” that threatens the region’s peace and security.
The authority’s statement comes despite Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Niamey quitting the bloc in January.
