Mali blames Ukraine for aiding Tuareg rebels, cuts diplomatic ties
Mali accused Ukraine of supporting Tuareg rebels, who recently ambushed a convoy of Russian Wagner PMC mercenaries, and severed diplomatic ties with Kyiv, the transitional government's spokesperson Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga wrote on X on Aug. 4.
Bamako's government condemned the alleged “hostility of the Ukrainian authorities, which contradicts the position of neutrality held by Mali, which has always called for a peaceful resolution of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine."
The statement echoes popular Russian narratives about the alleged "neo-Nazi character" of the Ukrainian government.
"Moreover, the Republic of Mali fully adheres to the diagnosis made by Russia, which, however, has been warning the world for many years about the neo-Nazi and villainous character of the Ukrainian government, which today is an ally of international terrorism and is far from seeking peace and stability for the Ukrainian nation."
The clash near the Malian-Algerian border reportedly resulted in the deaths of between 20 and 82 Russian mercenaries, with Wagner attributing their defeat to a sandstorm, allowing the rebels to launch a successful ambush.
This follows an earlier report by Reuters on July 28 that dozens of Malian army soldiers and mercenaries from the Wagner PMC had been killed and injured by northern Tuareg rebels in fighting near the Algerian border.
According to the rebel movement, the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD), a number of armored vehicles, trucks, and tankers were seized in two days of fighting at the border town of Tinzaouaten.
Videos of captured and killed Wagner fighters in the desert have been circulating online.
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