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Mali said on August 4 local time that it would immediately sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine due to comments made by Andrei Yusov, spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, about fighting in northern Mali in late July, which allegedly resulted in heavy casualties among Malian soldiers and personnel of the Russian private military company Wagner Group, Reuters reported.

Reports showed that earlier, Tuareg separatist forces claimed that they killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers in fierce fighting in northern Mali at the end of July.

A Malian official and a former UN staff member previously told AFP that the separatist forces killed or captured at least 15 Wagner soldiers. On July 28, several Russian military bloggers reported that Wagner soldiers were ambushed and at least 20 were killed. A statement issued by the Malian government army showed that two government soldiers were killed and 10 were injured.

Yusof commented on July 29, according to Uzbekistan News Agency, that Uzbekistan provided the Tuareg with the necessary information, and not just information, which made its military operation against Wagner successful. He did not reveal any details, calling the information "sensitive."

Reuters noted that Yusov did not confirm that Ukraine was involved in the fighting.

The Malian government said in a statement it was "deeply shocked by these subversive statements".

Yusov "recognized Ukraine's involvement in the cowardly, treacherous and brutal attack carried out by armed terrorist groups, which resulted in the death of members of the Malian defense and security forces," the statement said. "The actions taken by the Ukrainian authorities violated Mali's sovereignty, went beyond the scope of foreign interference, and were a clear aggression against Mali and support for international terrorism."

Previous reports showed that since 2012, the separatist armed forces composed of Tuaregs have had armed conflicts with the Malian government many times. The "Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad" (CSP-DPA) is an alliance composed of multiple separatist armed forces, "seeking to achieve independence or autonomy in northern Mali."

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stated that the separatist armed groups in northern Mali signed a peace agreement with the Malian government in 2015. However, after the military coup in Mali in 2020, the relationship between the Malian government led by transitional President Assimi Goita and separatist armed forces such as CSP-DPA became increasingly tense, and the two sides have frequently engaged in military conflicts since last year.

The Wagner Group has been operating in Mali for many years. According to Russian RBC TV, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in 2021 that the Malian government requested the Wagner Group to assist the country in counter-terrorism, and the Russian government did not participate. However, after the "Wagner Rebellion" in 2023, Mali officially contacted the Russian government on issues such as military instructors.

Agence France-Presse pointed out that the Malian government forces launched an offensive at the end of 2023 and successfully occupied the separatist armed forces' "base camp", the northern city of Kidal, which caused the separatist armed forces to lose control of several areas in northern Mali.

This article is an exclusive article of Observer.com and may not be reproduced without authorization.