- Mali was the first to announce it had severed ties with Ukraine over an attack that led to the death of several soldiers and Wagner mercenaries.
- Ukraine denied saying it's known in Africa as an important contributor to ensuring regional security including being part of the UN Missions in Mali.
Image: BBC
Over the past week, it has become clear that African countries that enjoy cordial working relations with Russia have been cutting diplomatic ties with Ukraine.
This has come despite Ukraine denying any wrongdoing in the reasons given for the severance of diplomatic ties with the countries.
According to Ukraine, the decisions have been in a rush, without any investigations or proof of the allegations levelled against the Eastern European country.
Mali was the first to announce it had severed ties with Ukraine over an attack that led to the death of several soldiers and Wagner mercenaries.
The attack was carried out on July 25, 2024.
According to Mali, a military official suggested Kyiv had played a role in deadly fighting near the Algerian border last month.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, said last week that the rebels had been given the "necessary information" to conduct the attacks.
Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said his government was shocked to hear the claim and accused Ukraine of violating Mali's sovereignty.
Yusov's comments, Abdoulaye said, admitted Ukraine's involvement in a "cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups".
Ukraine, however, denied any involvement.
It said that it is known in Africa as an important contributor to ensuring regional security including being part of the UN Missions in Mali between 2019 -2022.
The ministry said Mali's decision to cut ties without providing proof of their involvement is regrettable.
"Regrettably, the Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine without conducting a thorough study of the facts and circumstances of the incident in the north of Mali, and without providing any evidence of Ukraine's involvement in the mentioned event," Ukraine said.
"Ukraine reserves the right to take all necessary political and diplomatic measures in response to unfriendly actions of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali," it added.
A few days later, Niger announced that it would immediately sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine due to alleged aggression against Mali.
Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for Niger's transitional military government, said it would appeal to the UN Security Council to decide the aggression by Ukraine and its sponsors.
He also called on the international community to resist Ukraine's decision to defend terrorism in a global context.
"Considering the seriousness of the situation and Ukraine's recognised and alleged involvement in the aggression against Mali, the government of the Republic of Niger, in full solidarity with the government and people of Mali, is taking ... the following measures," Niger announced.
"First, the immediate severance of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Niger and Ukraine, and second, an appeal to the UN Security Council to make a decision regarding the aggression by Ukraine and its sponsors," Abdramane said in a televised address.
While Burkina Faso did not sever ties, they condemned the alleged attack, accusing the Ukrainian Embassy in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, of supporting terrorists.
The Junta-led country reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Malian Armed Forces, who fight against international terrorism and its accomplices in the Sahel and all of Africa.
“Burkina Faso firmly condemns the act of supporting terrorism and is surprised that it is relayed by the Ukrainian Embassy in Dakar," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, and Burkinabe Abroad said in a statement.
A common relation between the three countries is their leaders’ close ties with the Russian Federation.
This comes against the backdrop of efforts by the Ukrainian government to seek more cooperation with African countries as they continue to battle a full-scale Russian invasion that started on February 22, 2022.
As of last year, Ukraine had only 11 operational embassies in Africa.
This year, Ukraine made efforts to increase the embassies to at least 20, but with the Mali and Niger junta-led administrations cutting diplomatic ties, Ukraine will have to work more to win back its trust.
Ukraine insists that it wants genuine friendship with African countries, where there’s mutual respect.