Mali's Defence Minister killed in coordinated attacks, raising security concerns

Mali’s Defence Minister General Sadio Camara has been killed amid coordinated attacks on military sites across the country, sources told Al Jazeera. The news came a day after his residence in the garrison town of Kati was attacked during simultaneous assaults launched by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels. 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. His death is viewed as a significant blow to the country’s armed forces.

Haque reported that attackers executed a suicide car bomb assault on Camara’s residence in Kati, a heavily fortified military town about 15 kilometers northwest of the capital, Bamako. Despite Kati's security reputation, fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, along with Tuareg fighters from the Liberation Front of Azawad, successfully launched the attack. Armed men also targeted several other locations across Mali, including Bamako, Gao, Kidal, and the central city of Sevare. "As we speak, people in the garrison town of Kidal can still hear heavy gunfire and loud explosions," Haque added, indicating that the operation was ongoing more than 24 hours after it began.

Interim President Assimi Goita faces increased pressure following the offensive, with analysts suggesting that the authorities appeared caught off guard by this wave of violence. Haque confirmed that Goita was "alive and well in a secure location" during the attack, maintaining command of the military. The African Union, the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the United States Bureau of African Affairs condemned the attacks across Mali.