Mali’s Defence Minister, General Sadio Camara, has been killed following a wave of coordinated attacks targeting military installations across the country, multiple sources have confirmed.
The development comes barely 24 hours after his residence in the strategic garrison town of Kati came under heavy assault during simultaneous offensives reportedly carried out by an al-Qaeda-linked group alongside Tuareg rebel fighters.
Camara died from injuries sustained during the attack.
Al Jazeera reports that Camara, a key architect of Mali’s military leadership, rose to prominence after playing a central role in the coups that brought the current junta to power in 2020 and 2021.
His influence within the ruling structure made him one of the most powerful figures in the country.
“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.”
However, the attack on his residence involved a suicide car bomb explosion in Kati, a heavily fortified military stronghold located about 15 kilometres from the capital, 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.
The coordinated offensive extended beyond Kati, with gunmen striking multiple locations across the country, including Bamako, the northern cities of Gao and Kidal, and the central town of Sevare.
“As we speak, people in the garrison town of Kidal can still hear heavy gunfire and loud explosions,” Haque added. “This remains an ongoing operation more than 24 hours after it began.”
The attacks have intensified pressure on Mali’s interim leadership, with analysts suggesting that security forces were caught off guard by the scale and coordination of the violence.
Despite the chaos, sources confirmed that Interim President Assimi Goita remains safe.
“When the attack took place, he was moved to safety, so he remains in command of the military,” he said.
Meanwhile, international bodies including the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the United States Bureau of African Affairs have strongly condemned the attacks, calling for urgent measures to restore stability in the troubled West African nation.
