Russia has accused Ukraine of opening a “second front” in the conflict between the two nations, following Mali and Niger’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Kyiv. The African nations have accused Ukraine of supporting “terrorist groups.” This allegation from Russia came after Niger’s military government announced on Monday that it had cut its ties with Ukraine. Several West African states have recently abandoned their longstanding connections with the West in favor of closer ties with Russia.
In a statement from Niamey, Niger’s capital, officials declared that the break with Ukraine would take effect “immediately.” This decision followed Mali’s military government, which announced its own severance of relations with Kyiv on Sunday, citing Ukraine’s involvement in an attack in the northern region of the country, where Tuareg rebels claimed to have killed dozens of Wagner Group mercenaries and Malian soldiers.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence service, asserted that the Malian rebels had received the “necessary” information to execute the operation. In response, Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for Niger’s military government, expressed significant astonishment and deep indignation regarding Yusov’s remarks, labeling them as subversive and unacceptable. Niger intends to request a discussion in the United Nations Security Council regarding Ukraine’s “aggression.”
On Monday, Ukraine condemned Mali’s decision to sever ties, describing it as short-sighted and hasty, while denying the allegations of Ukrainian support for international terrorism. Ukraine has not yet commented on Niger’s decision.
Both Niger and Mali are governed by military regimes that came to power through recent coups. Since then, both countries have annulled defense agreements with France and sought military support from Russia. Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated, according to RIA Novosti, that the “criminal government” under Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now opening another front in Africa, accusing Ukraine of “pleasing terrorists in countries that are friendly towards Moscow.”
On July 25, three days of intense fighting erupted near the border between Mali and Algeria at a military camp in Tinzaouatene, where Tuareg-led separatists claimed to have killed 84 Wagner fighters and 47 Malian soldiers. Mali’s army admitted to suffering a “significant number” of casualties during the clashes but did not disclose specific figures.
In addition to condemning Yusov’s remarks, Niger, Mali, and other countries in West Africa have criticized statements made by Ukraine’s ambassador to Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, and Liberia. Senegal’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador Yurii Pyvovarov after a video emerged in which he allegedly expressed “clear and unequivocal support for the terrorist attack” in Mali.
This dispute is viewed as a significant setback for Ukraine’s efforts to garner global support in its self-defense against Russia’s invasion, especially in its attempts to expand its appeal in the Global South.