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According to RIA Novosti and the Kyiv Independent, on August 6 local time, Amadou Abdulrahman, spokesman for the Niger military government, announced in a televised speech that Niger would immediately sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

Abdulrahman condemned Ukraine's support for "terrorist organizations" and said he would "submit a report to the UN Security Council to seek a ruling on Ukraine's aggressive actions."

Previously, Mali also broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine because of its support for Malian rebels.

At the end of July, fierce fighting broke out between Malian government forces, the Russian private military company Wagner Group and separatist armed forces in northern Mali.

The separatist forces said they killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers in the fighting.

A Malian official and a former UN staff member 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.

Andrei Yusov, spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, said on July 29 that Ukraine provided the separatist armed forces with necessary information, and not just information, which made its military operation against Wagner successful. But he did not confirm that Ukraine was involved in the fighting.

On August 4, Mali's transitional government issued a statement announcing the immediate severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

The statement said that "we are deeply shocked by these subversive statements". Yusov "recognized Ukraine's participation in the cowardly, treacherous and brutal attack launched by armed terrorist organizations, which resulted in the death of members of the Malian defense and security forces". "The actions taken by the Ukrainian authorities violate Mali's sovereignty, go beyond the scope of foreign interference, and are a clear aggression against Mali and support for international terrorism."

The Kyiv Independent reported that on August 5, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Mali's decision to sever diplomatic ties "hasty" and "regrettable," and said that the Malian transitional government had not provided evidence that Ukraine was involved in the above-mentioned fighting.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Ukraine unconditionally abides by international law and respects the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries.

Russian News Agency pointed out that in addition to Niger, other neighboring countries of Mali have also expressed dissatisfaction with Ukraine's actions. The Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Yuri Pivovarov on the grounds that he supported terrorists. The Burkina Faso Foreign Ministry called on the international community to evaluate Ukraine's support for terrorist organizations.

Previous reports showed that in September 2023, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter in Bamako, the capital of Mali, agreeing to establish the "Sahel Alliance".

In January this year, the three countries issued a joint communiqué announcing their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States. On July 6, the military leaders of the three countries held the first summit of the "Alliance for the Sahel" member states in Niamey, the capital of Niger, and announced the establishment of the "Confederation of Sahel States".

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