As reported on Sunday the West African country of Mali cut ties with Ukraine owing to a statement by a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR).
In a recent development, fellow West African junta state, Niger, on Tuesday also cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine over the same remark.
The remark in question, implicates Ukraine in its involvement in the deaths of at least 84 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers.
The statement by the GUR spokesperson Andriy Yuso, which allegedly acknowledged Kyiv’s involvement in the massive casualties Malian forces endured in July, reads;
“The rebels received all the necessary information they needed, and not just the information, which allowed (them) to conduct a successful military operation against Russian perpetrators of war crimes. We certainly won’t go into details now – you will see more of this in the future.”
As a result, Mali and Niger have severed ties with the Eastern European country. With this move, there is every likelihood that Burkina Faso would follow suit.
Ukraine’s shaky presence in Africa
Ukraine’s implication in the death of Malian troops is likely to attract a harsh reaction from Burkina Faso, given Burkina Faso’s strong allegiance to Mali and Niger.
What this entails for Ukraine, if it should happen is uncertain.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all share similar political stances having expelled French influence from their respective administrations. These three West African states are under Junta rule, and all three have opted out of its former regional cover ECOWAS.
They also have decided to form their own regional umbrella dubbed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) having unveiled the AES’s inaugural summit in June. The summit saw the signing of a confederation treaty between the three West African states.
As a result, they share common economic and political interests.
In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rallied countries from around the world to support his call for Russia to end its invasion. The conference had 93 participants, including 57 heads of state or government.
At the end of the summit, approximately 80 countries signed a document condemning Russia for the war and asserting Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Only 11 of these countries were African.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, didn’t even bother to attend. However, only a little over a dozen African countries sent representatives, highlighting Ukraine’s minimal influence in not just the AES region, but Africa as a whole.
Additionally, prior to the war, Russia boasted 43 embassies in Africa, compared to Ukraine’s 10, none of which are in the AES regions.
As a result, Russia has a strong enough hold on a few African countries contrary to Ukraine’s questionable influence or allegiance on the continent.
Also, it is unclear how valuable a partnership with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are to Ukraine.
In November of last year, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters from Africa rather bluntly that his nation had received “a pretty low return on their investment in Africa,” as reported by DW
Ukraine’s plans to expand to Africa
Regardless of Ukraine’s current influential hold on African countries, it is undeniable that the Eastern European country is trying to expand its influence on the continent.
The visit will be the Ukrainian foreign minister’s fourth tour of African countries since the war started, according to a report by Reuters. Kuleba is set to travel to Malawi, Zambia, and Mauritius from August 4-8.
Additionally, the report by DW, revealed that Ukraine recently built recently built six new embassies in Africa, including in Rwanda, Botswana and Mozambique, and four more are planned.
Furthermore, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister visited the African Union and twelve other African countries between 2022 and 2023.
