Niger’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Kyiv was described as “regrettable” by the Ukrainian foreign ministry on Thursday, adding that Kyiv believed the decision was based on false and baseless accusations.
The junta in Niger declared on Tuesday that it was supporting Mali, which had severed relations with Kyiv after comments made by a military intelligence official in that country that it claimed demonstrated Kyiv’s backing for rebels engaged in combat in northern Mali.
“Regrettably, the authorities of Niger have decided to terminate diplomatic relations with Ukraine without conducting any investigation into the incident in Mali or providing any evidence as to the reasons for such a step,” said the foreign ministry of Ukraine.
According to Tuareg rebels, during the battle in July, at least 84 Russian Wagner mercenaries were killed. This appears to be Wagner’s worst setback since it intervened two years ago to support Mali’s military authorities in their struggle against insurgent organizations.
Up until last year, when its men rebelled in Russia and its commander perished in an aircraft accident a month later, Wagner, a private army, was a significant player in the conflict in Ukraine. It continues to operate in several African nations.
The controversy began when Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the military spy agency of Ukraine, stated on television that rebels in Mali had obtained the “necessary” information to carry out their attack.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement that Kyiv disavowed any claims that it encouraged “international terrorism”.
“The accusations against Ukraine cited in the statement by a representative of the government of (Niger) do not stand up to any criticism, are groundless and do not correspond to reality,” said the statement.
In the third year of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine is engaged in fierce combat with Russia while attempting to win over support from other countries, particularly those in the Global South.
