BAMAKO: Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed after a suicide attack targeted his residence, the government confirmed on Sunday, marking one of the most high-profile casualties in a wave of coordinated assaults carried out a day earlier by insurgent groups, including an al-Qaeda-linked Islamic terror group in West Africa.
A vehicle packed with explosives, driven by a suicide attacker, rammed into Camara’s residence in the town of Kati, according to government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly. The statement, broadcast on state television, said a firefight followed the explosion. Camara was seriously injured during the attack and later succumbed to his wounds in the hospital. The government has declared two days of national mourning.
The official confirmation followed earlier media reports, which confirmed Camara’s death during the operation in Kati, located roughly 15 km north of the capital Bamako, where the country’s main military base is situated.
Coordinated Insurgent Offensive Across Mali
The attacks were claimed by the regional al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which said it had coordinated with a Tuareg-dominated rebel group to carry out simultaneous strikes across more than half a dozen locations in Mali. The rebel group involved was identified as the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). Despite the scale of the violence, the Malian government has not released an official death toll. Coulibaly expressed condolences to “all civilian and military victims who died” but did not provide specific figures.
Analysts and diplomats have described Saturday’s offensive as one of the largest coordinated insurgent attacks in Mali in recent years. The attacks underscore the persistent instability in the Sahel region, where militant groups continue to challenge state authority. The United Nations responded by calling for a stronger international effort to combat escalating violence and Islamic terrorism in West Africa’s Sahel belt.
Fate Unclear Of Strategic City Kidal
In addition to Kati, the coordinated strikes targeted areas near Bamako airport and extended into northern and central regions, including Mopti, Sevare, and Gao. The situation in the strategic northern city of Kidal remains unclear. Kidal has long been a symbolic stronghold for Tuareg separatist movements. The FLA claimed that the city had fallen under its control. A spokesperson for the group stated on X that an agreement had been reached allowing Russian mercenaries to withdraw from a besieged camp outside the city, where Malian armed forces had been positioned.
However, Mali’s army chief of staff, Oumar Diarra, disputed these claims. Speaking on state television, he said the military had “tactically repositioned” its forces in Kidal and that operations in the region were still ongoing.
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, described the developments as a major setback for Russia, which has supported Mali’s military-led government following the expulsion of French, U.S., and other Western forces.
“For Russia, the attack has been a disaster,” Laessing said. “They were unable to prevent the fall of the highly symbolic Tuareg stronghold of Kidal and now need to leave this northern city.”
Security Promises Under Pressure
Russian state-run broadcaster Vesti reported that Russia’s Africa Corps was actively repelling a large-scale militant assault targeting Mali’s government.
According to Vesti, Russian personnel, alongside units of Mali’s Presidential Guard and armed forces, were engaged in defending key state institutions, including preventing the seizure of the presidential palace. The broadcaster added that some members of the Africa Corps were wounded, though no further details were provided. The latest attacks raise serious questions about the Malian government’s ability to deliver on its promise of improved security. Despite a shift in alliances and increased reliance on Russian support, insurgent groups continue to mount large-scale operations.
In September 2024, JNIM carried out a deadly attack on a paramilitary police training school near Bamako airport, killing around 70 people. More recently, the group imposed a fuel blockade that has disrupted electricity supply and caused severe shortages affecting residents and businesses in the capital.
At the same time, Mali has been attempting to strengthen ties with the United States, which is seeking to re-engage in security cooperation and explore opportunities in the mining sector.
Earlier this week, Mali’s foreign minister told the media that neighbouring countries and foreign powers were backing terrorist groups operating in the region, though he declined to name any specific states.
