A interesting move from Mali in terms of geo politics that may have a minimal effect on the world stage. It seems that the Wagner ambush conducted by rebels in the region also lead to the death of some of Malis own security forces. This has lead the state to declare Ukraine is funding rebel groups in the region and in response has cut diplomatic ties.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-04/mali-cuts-diplomatic-ties-with-ukraine-for-supporting-rebels
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Mali’s military leadership broke off diplomatic ties with Ukraine over its alleged support of a Malian Tuareg rebel coalition.
The decision came after a Ukraine military intelligence agency spokesman said in a video that the country had provided information to Tuareg rebels in northern Mali, fighting Malian armed forces, during a battle last month, the government said in a statement on Sunday.
The video was uploaded to the Ukraine embassy’s Facebook page. It contained a comment from the ambassador “who openly and unequivocally displayed his country’s support for international terrorism,” Mali government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga said in the statement.
The Facebook post has since been deleted and couldn’t be independently verified. The embassy couldn’t be reached for comment by phone or email outside office hours.
More than two dozen mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group and Malian soldiers were killed last month while fighting rebels in northern Mali, according to a pro-Kremlin news source. They suffered what’s likely the group’s biggest death toll since it deployed to the West African country in 2021.
Mali’s army said two soldiers were killed and 10 injured in three days of clashes.