Niger Becomes Second African Country to Cut Diplomatic Ties with Ukraine

Niger has "immediately" severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine, citing the Ukrainian government's support for "terrorist groups," announced Amadou Abdramane, a representative of the country's government.

According to him, the decision by Niger's authorities was made following a statement by Andrey Yusov, a representative of Ukrainian military intelligence, claiming that Kyiv had aided Tuareg rebels in Mali in organizing operations against Wagner Group mercenaries.

Abdramane emphasized that Niger is breaking diplomatic ties with Ukraine in solidarity with the government and people of Mali. The country's government has also pledged to approach the UN Security Council to seek a verdict against "Ukrainian aggression and its sponsors."

The Malian authorities announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Ukraine on August 5, asserting that Kyiv supports the rebellious Tuaregs. The Malian government stated, "The actions of the Ukrainian authorities violate the sovereignty of Mali and are clearly aggressive towards Mali while supporting international terrorism."

Malian officials highlighted that they had previously maintained a neutral stance in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but now view the actions of Kyiv's authorities as "Nazi and malicious."