Mali’s Defence Minister, Sadio Camara, has been killed during an attack on his residence near the capital Bamako,as fighting continued around the country between the army and Tuareg rebels backed by jihadist groups.
A government spokesperson confirmed on state television late Sunday that the 47-year-old had been killed, corroborating earlier reports from relatives and local media.
A relative of Camara’s had told Reuters news agency he was killed, while a Malian journalist – believed to be his brother-in-law – also reported his death on Facebook.
A truck packed with explosives was repportedly driven into the minister’s compound in Kati during the initial wave of clashes on Saturday, which targeted Bamako’s international airport as well as Gao and Kidal in the north and the central city of Sevare.
Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM and Tuareg rebels claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks around Bamako as well as in other cities.
During the assaults on Saturday, the head of the Malian junta, Assimi Goïta, was evacuated to a secure camp, while another general who was wounded in the attacks was taken to a clinic in Bamako for treatment.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an international response to the 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 UN spokesperson posted on social media.
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The attacks are the first time that the Tuareg-led separatist group, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), said it was operating alongside the JNIM.
"This operation is being carried out in partnership with the JNIM, which is also committed to defending the people against the military regime in Bamako," FLA spokesperson Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadan said in a statement.
General Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, a spokesperson for Mali's government, said on state television that 16 people were wounded, including civilians and military personnel, and that several militants were killed during the fighting. He did not provide a death toll.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the attacks on Sunday. "We call on all states, security forces, regional mechanisms and populations of West Africa to unite and mobilise in a coordinated effort to combat this scourge," it said in a statement.
The separatists have urged Russia to "reconsider its support for the military junta in Bamako, whose actions have contributed to the suffering of the civilian population."
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Following a swathe of military coups, the juntas in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso turned from western allies to Russia for help combating Islamic militants.
But the security situation has worsened, with a record number of attacks by militants. Government forces have also been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.
In 2024, an Al-Qaeda-linked group claimed an attack on Bamako’s airport and a military training camp in the capital, killing 70.
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said that while the attacks were a major blow to the credibility of Mali’s Russian partners, JNIM is unlikely to take control of Bamako in the near term due to opposition from the local population.
(with newswires)
