Diplomatic Relations between Mali and Ukraine severed on August 5, 2024, after a Ukrainian official admitted that his country provided intelligence to Malian rebels, leading to the deaths of 47 Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner Group mercenaries. Niger and Mali saw this attack as a betrayal by Ukraine. Despite the latter’s denial of any involvement in the incident, both countries decided to cut their diplomatic relations with Kyiv. The incident proved detrimental for Ukraine as it has already been struggling to gain support from the world, except the West. Ukraine’s assistance to rebels against the Wagner group in Africa ruptured its diplomatic image beyond the continent. Due to its historical experience of the Cold War rivalries, Africa views Kyiv’s actions as the biggest jeopardy to regional peace and stability. However, Ukraine is attempting to repair its tarnished image and relations with the African countries by denying these claims. The situation emphasizes that Ukraine needs to balance its geopolitical strategies with respect for the sovereignty of other nations.
Ukraine’s Support for Tuareg Rebels and Its Diplomatic Fallout
Ukraine’s assistance of northern Tuareg rebels in late July resulted in the deaths of at least 47 Malian soldiers and 84 mercenaries during a three-day fight. This was the heaviest loss of the Wagner group since its entrance into the Sahel conflict for assisting the Malian government against the rebels. Andriy Yusov, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR), in his interview on July 29 with the public broadcaster Suspilne, said that the rebels were provided “all the information they needed, which allowed [them] to carry out their operation against the Russian war criminals”.
Yusov’s statement sparked immediate backlash in Mali and Niger. This backlash led to severing relations between Ukraine and the two African countries, despite Kyiv’s denial of the statement. Niger and Mali expressed deep shock about Ukraine’s involvement in an attack that cost numerous lives and ended all relations with Ukraine. Kyiv was already struggling to garner global support against Russia.
The Broader Context of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a conflict since 24th February 2022 due to the latter’s support to the West and its attempts to gain NATO membership. According to the historical agreement between Russia and the West, NATO cannot move even an inch eastward. However, NATO member countries have long been trying to reach the Russian border. To achieve this goal, they persuaded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to gain NATO membership. This resulted in a long conflict between Russia and Ukraine. However, the former demonstrated significant restraint by not launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine despite obvious military supremacy. Russia’s restraint in this conflict shows its only motive is to ensure its stability and sovereignty.
Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the latter has been persuading different countries around the world to condemn Russian military operations against the unwitty decisions of the Ukrainian President. Africa could have been an easy target for Ukraine due to the influence of many European countries and the United States in the region. However, Ukraine’s intelligence support to rebels against the Malian government proved detrimental to its diplomatic relations on the continent. Ukraine lost all the leverage it had in the African region by supporting rebels in killing some Russian mercenaries.
Repercussions in Africa and the Global Implications
This Ukrainian act did not only undermine its global credibility but also exposed to the world that it is belligerent states jeopardize the security and stability of other states to assert its power. Moreover, this Ukrainian act also demonstrated Kyiv’s frustration due to its inability to win against the Russian forces at home. This act has been condemned by almost all the regional organizations and states. They took immediate notice of Ukraine’s irresponsible conduct and its lack of respect for the sovereignty of other states, especially Mali and Niger.
The seriousness of the situation could be gauged by the fact that ECOWAS, a regional organization, despite suspending Mali in 2022, issued a statement condemning Ukraine’s involvement in this issue. ECOWAS conveyed its “firm disapproval and firm condemnation of any outside interference in the region which could threaten peace and security in West Africa and any attempt aiming to draw the region into current geopolitical confrontations.”
The Cold War memories and the inflictions of the extension of the hostilities between the United States and Russia on the continent have made the regional countries seriously concerned about the Ukrainian acts in the region. Yusov’s statement proved detrimental to the Ukrainian interests in the region. Ukraine has been offensive in its attempts to establish ties with the African countries and garner their support since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It has opened 9 new embassies in the regional countries. However, its involvement in the attack against the Mali government and the Russian Wagner group has proved that it is another belligerent Western state that could never be trusted as an ally because just like the United States and other Western allies of Ukraine, it sacrifices and undermines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states to achieve its strategic interests.
Taut Bataut – is a researcher and writer that publishes on South Asian geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
