A Malian official has reportedly questioned Kiev’s ability to act alone in providing intelligence to armed groups
Mali and Niger have asked the UN Security Council to investigate claims that Ukraine provided intelligence to Tuareg rebels, who killed Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner Group contractors in a recent ambush, according to RIA Novosti.
Fousseinou Ouattara, deputy chairman of Bamako’s parliamentary committee on security and defense, announced the move in an interview, the Russian news agency reported on Wednesday.
“It must have been [intelligence] that was mainly transmitted through the Americans, because they are capable of obtaining such information,” Ouattara said, casting doubt on Ukraine’s ability to independently assist armed groups in Africa.
Bamako and Niamey have severed diplomatic relations with Kiev, accusing it of supporting “terrorist groups” after a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence called the attack in northern Mali in late July a “successful military operation.” Andrey Yusov claimed that the Malian rebels received “necessary” information to launch the assault in Tinzaouaten, and warned that more would follow.
On Sunday, the Malian government expressed shock at the remarks, calling it Kiev’s support for terrorism in the Sahel and a violation of Mali’s sovereignty. Niamey also denounced the “indecent” and “unacceptable” comments made by Ukrainian officials as “acts of aggression,” and decided on Tuesday to cut ties with Kiev with “immediate effect” in “total solidarity with the government and people of Mali.”
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has condemned the attacks in Mali and warned against “any foreign interference” that threatens the region’s peace and security.
On Saturday, the Sahel state’s neighbour, Senegal, issued a statement, saying it “cannot accept… comments and gestures aimed at apologizing for terrorism, especially when the latter aims to destabilize a country, a brotherly one like Mali.”
