Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara has been killed during coordinated attacks on military sites across the country, sources told Al Jazeera. The report on Sunday came a day after his residence in the garrison town of Kati, near the capital Bamako, was targeted during simultaneous assaults launched on Saturday by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels.
Camara was a key figure in Mali’s military leadership following coups in 2020 and 2021 and was widely seen as one of the most influential figures in the ruling establishment. “He was one of the most influential figures within the ruling military leadership and had been seen by some as a possible future leader of Mali,” Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque said. “His death is a major blow to the country’s armed forces.”
According to the report, attackers carried out a suicide car bomb assault on Camara’s residence in Kati, a heavily fortified military town about 15 km northwest of Bamako.
“Kati is considered one of the most secure locations in the country, yet fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, along with Tuareg fighters from the Liberation Front of Azawad, were able to launch the attack,” Haque said.
Gunmen also struck multiple locations across Mali, including Bamako, as well as the northern cities of Gao and Kidal, and the central city of Sevare.
Meanwhile, sustained gunfire was heard on Sunday in the garrison town of Kati near Mali’s capital, a day after large-scale coordinated attacks by armed groups, a Reuters witness said. The continued firing suggested fighting had entered a second day, despite the army saying it had regained control of the situation.
The United Nations called for an international response to escalating violence in the Sahel region following Saturday’s attacks. "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several locations across Mali. He strongly condemns these acts of violence," a U.N. spokesperson said in a post on X.
The attacks, described as among the most significant in recent years, were claimed by an al-Qaida-linked group and Tuareg rebels. They targeted areas around the capital Bamako, as well as other parts of the country, in a coordinated operation against the military-led government.
The number of casualties remained unclear on Sunday. The status of the northern city of Kidal was also uncertain, with insurgents claiming they had taken control.
Government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said 16 people were injured and that the situation was “completely under control” in affected areas. Authorities have also imposed a three-day overnight curfew.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
