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Mali severs diplomatic relations with Ukraine for providing intelligence to rebels for Wagner ambush

By AnneClaire Stapleton and Mitch McCluskey, CNN

(CNN) — Mali has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine after the country suppliedĀ intelligence to Malian rebels involved in an ambush against Wagner Group forces in July.

ā€œThe transitional government of the Republic of Mali condemns the hostility of the authorities of Ukraine who do not observe that Mali has always called for a peaceful settlement of the crisis between the Russian FederationĀ andĀ Ukraine,ā€ government spokesman Colonel AbdoulayeĀ Maiga said in a televised statement on Sunday.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraineā€™s Security Service (SBU), previously said Kyiv had provided the militants with intelligence for the attack, saying on Ukrainian television in late July that ā€œthe rebels received necessary information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.ā€

The attack was claimed byĀ aĀ Tuareg rebelsĀ groupĀ along with the al Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, JNIM (Jamaā€™at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin).Ā Known for ad hoc cooperation, they appear to haveĀ collaboratedĀ to trap the Russian convoy.

After the attack, JNIM claimed that a ā€œcomplex ambushā€ had wiped out the convoy, killing 50 Russians and severalĀ Malian soldiers, and published videos showing several vehicles ablaze as well as dozens of bodies in the area.Ā A Tuareg militant group spokesman said some Malian troops and Russian fighters had also been captured during the battle.

According to some unofficial Russian Telegram channels, as many as 80 Russians were killed. That would make itĀ by farĀ the worst loss for Russian paramilitaries in several years of operating in Africa, as the Kremlin has sought to use proxy forces to challenge Western influence across the Sahel and central Africa and prop up unstable regimes.

Previous reporting contributed by CNNā€™s Tim Lister,Ā Avery SchmitzĀ andĀ Darya Tarasova.

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