Mali Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack by al Qaeda-linked group JNIM on his residence at the Kati military base outside Bamako on Saturday, France’s RFI radio reported on Sunday.
Attacks continued on Sunday, a day after an al Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels carried out one of the largest coordinated attacks in the country in recent years, as gunfire rang out in a garrison town near Mali’s capital, a Reuters witness said.
Camara was a central figure in the military government that seized power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.
“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,” said Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, who has reported extensively from Mali.
“His death is a major blow to the country’s armed forces.”
Haque said attackers carried out a suicide car bomb assault on Camara’s residence in Kati, a heavily fortified military town about 15km (9 miles) northwest of the capital, Bamako, where Interim President Assimi Goita also lives.
“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 (JNIM), along with Tuareg fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), were able to launch the attack”.
Goita was “alive and well in a secure location”, Haque added.
“When the attack took place, he was moved to safety, so he remains in command of the military,” he said.
Gunmen attacked several other locations across Mali, including Bamako, as well as Gao and Kidal in the north and the central city of Sevare.
Haque said the sounds of heavy gunfire and loud explosions could still be heard in Kidal on Sunday, according to residents. “This remains an ongoing operation more than 24 hours after it began,” he added.
The United Nations called for an international response to violence and terrorism in the West Africa Sahel region following Saturday’s large-scale assaults.
“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 posted on X.
An al Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks around the capital, Bamako, in gold-producing areas and elsewhere across Mali, in one of the boldest operations insurgents have mounted in their campaign against the military-led government.
The final toll of deaths and injuries remained unclear on Sunday, as did the fate of the contested city of Kidal, which the insurgents claimed to have recaptured from government forces in the assault.
Leave a Reply