Mali’s defence minister, Sadio Camara, was killed in a car bomb attack on his residence in Kati, a stronghold of the ruling junta near Bamako, according to his family and officials. The attack, which also claimed the lives of Camara’s second wife and two grandchildren, occurred as Mali’s military was locked in a second day of fierce fighting against both jihadist militants and Tuareg separatist rebels in areas surrounding the capital and other cities, escalating pressure on the Sahel nation’s leadership.
Saturday’s coordinated assaults were carried out by Tuareg fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and jihadists aligned with the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). Multiple locations across the country were targeted, with renewed clashes reported Sunday in Kati, Kidal, Gao, and Sévaré.
Tuareg rebels announced they had reached a deal permitting Russian forces allied with Mali’s army to withdraw from the northern city of Kidal, which they declared to be fully under their control. “An agreement was reached allowing the Malian army and its Russian Africa Corps partners to leave camp 2, where they had been surrounded since yesterday,” a Tuareg official told AFP. Residents reported seeing a military convoy departing as rebel fighters took control of the streets.
Kidal, a key Tuareg stronghold, was recaptured by Mali’s Russian-backed forces in November 2023, ending more than a decade of rebel rule. The FLA also claims new positions in the northern Gao region. According to a security source, the attackers’ goal was not to seize and hold cities, but to carry out coordinated actions—particularly to capture Kidal, which holds symbolic importance.
Saturday’s violence was the worst in Mali since the 2020 coup brought the current junta to power. The government reported 16 civilians and soldiers wounded, and stated that material damage was limited. Authorities declared the situation to be under control in all affected areas.
Tensions remain high in Bamako, where access to military sites has been blocked and residents in districts near the airport reported lingering trauma from the violence. “I still hear the blasts ringing in my ears. It’s traumatising,” said one resident. In Kati, residents described a sense of fear and uncertainty despite a temporary calm following the withdrawal of jihadist fighters.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence and called for coordinated international support to address the threat of extremism and terrorism in the Sahel. The European Union also denounced the attacks. Russia’s Africa Corps, which operates under the Russian defence ministry, has replaced the Wagner Group as the primary foreign force assisting Mali’s military.
Mali, rich in gold and other minerals, has shifted its alliances away from France and other Western nations toward Russia, following similar moves by military governments in Niger and Burkina Faso.
