A spokesperson for Mali’s Tuareg rebel alliance has denied receiving any external assistance, including from Ukraine, during late July clashes that severely impacted Mali’s army and its Russian Wagner Group partners.
In early August, the rebels claimed to have killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers during intense fighting in Tinzaouaten, near the Algerian border. This marks one of Wagner’s largest setbacks since joining Mali’s fight against insurgents two years ago.
Following comments from Ukraine’s military intelligence that Mali interpreted as support for the rebels, the Malian government severed diplomatic ties with Kyiv. Ukraine called the move hasty, asserting that no evidence linked it to the clashes. Neighboring Niger later followed Mali in cutting ties with Ukraine.
“We can clearly say that we received no outside help for the fighting at Tinzaouaten,” said Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the rebel alliance, CSP-PSD. Ramadane also denied any past support from Ukraine, financial or otherwise.
Neither Mali nor Wagner have disclosed their losses, although Wagner acknowledged heavy casualties in a rare statement on July 29. Meanwhile, the al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM claimed responsibility for killing 50 Wagner fighters and 10 Malian soldiers in a related ambush.
The CSP-PSD rebels, who launched a rebellion in 2012, signed a peace deal with Mali’s government in 2015 but withdrew from negotiations last year, reigniting tensions in the region.
