Mali cuts ties with Ukraine after deadly clashes

Mali says it has cut diplomatic relations with Ukraine, after a military official suggested Kyiv had played a role in deadly fighting near the Algerian border last month. Dozens of Malian soldiers and mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group were killed in days of clashes with Tuareg separatist rebels and fighters linked to al-Qaeda. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, said the rebels had been given the ‘necessary information’ to conduct the attacks. BBC News reports that Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said the Malian Government was shocked to hear the claim and accused Ukraine of violating Mali's sovereignty. Mali has decided to break off relations ‘with immediate effect’, he said. Last week, Mali's army admitted it had suffered ‘significant’ losses during several days of fighting earlier that began on 25 July. Neither Mali’s military nor Wagner – which has since morphed into a group called the Africa Corps – have given exact figures, but the estimated death toll for Wagner fighters ranges from 20 to 80.