Niger severs ties with Ukraine in solidarity with Mali
Niger announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine, two days after Mali took the same step, accusing Kiev of supporting Azawad armed groups.
The spokesman of the Nigerian Military Council, Amadou Abdelrahman, said in a statement broadcast on Nigerian state television, that the government of Niger, in solidarity with the government of Mali and its people, has decided in full sovereignty to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine with immediate effect.
Amadou Abdelrahman added that the government of Niger viewed with great surprise, and indignation the subversive and unacceptable remarks of the Ukrainian military official Andriy Yusov.
Mali had announced last Sunday, severing diplomatic relations with Ukraine with immediate effect, expressing in a statement broadcast on state television its surprise at the subversive statements by Andriy Yusov, spokesman for the military intelligence agency of Ukraine, admitted Ukraine’s involvement in a cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack, launched by armed terrorist groups, which led to the death of elements of The Malian defense and security forces in Tinzaouatine, as well as material damage.
A statement by the Malian government said that these statements were reinforced by the position of the Ukrainian ambassador to Senegal, Yurii Pyvovarov, who openly and without the slightest ambiguity showed his country’s support for international terrorism, especially in Mali.
Ukrainian military intelligence official Andriy Yusov said, “the Rebels got all the necessary information they needed, and not only the information that allowed them to conduct a successful military operation against the Russian perpetrators of war crimes,” adding, “We’ll definitely not go into details now… You’ll see more of this in the future”.
Earlier, the Senegalese foreign minister summoned the Ukrainian ambassador Yurii Pyvovarov, because of a video posted by the Ukrainian Embassy in Dakar on its Facebook page, in which the Kiev ambassador gave unequivocal and unconditional support for the terrorist attack in Mali, according to a statement by the Senegalese foreign ministry.
In a statement issued by its foreign ministry on Monday, Ukraine condemned Mali’s decision to cut ties as “short-sighted and hasty”, and said that “Kiev rejects accusations of supporting international terrorism”.
A few days ago, the permanent strategic framework for the defense of the Azawad people said that its forces killed at least 84 members of the Wagner Group and 47 Malian soldiers in the 3-day battles of Tinzaouatine.
