Mali. Resumption of fighting in Kidal and Kati, Minister of Defense killed in Saturdays attack

Fighting resumed on Sunday in Mali between rebels and the army, supported by Russian mercenaries, in Kidal (north) and Kati, near the capital Bamako, the stronghold of the junta ruling this Sahelian country, following attacks on its positions in several localities. Sunday, Tuareg rebels announced they had reached a “agreement” allowing the Russian Africa Corps soldiers to withdraw from Kidal, which they say they now “fully control.”

The FLA (Front for the Liberation of Azawad), a separatist group claiming the territory of Azawad in northern Mali, announced on Saturday that they control Kidal after fighting in the city, among other coordinated attacks that this Tuareg rebellion waged with jihadists from the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM, allied with Al-Qaeda). Mali has been plagued by conflicts and jihadist violence for over a decade, but since the junta took power in 2020, the Saturday attacks by JNIM jihadists and the FLA Touareg rebels are unprecedented.

Kidal under rebel control

From dawn, combat raged between the army and the assailants and intensified in the afternoon on the outskirts of Bamako and in several cities of the country, including Kidal, Gao, and Sevare. They resulted in 16 civilian and military injuries and “limited material damage,” as indicated in a statement on Saturday night by the government stating that “the situation is completely under control in all attacked localities.”

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, condemned “violent extremism” after these attacks and called for “coordinated international support to address the evolving threat of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel and to respond to urgent humanitarian needs,” in a statement on Saturday. The European Union also stated that they “strongly condemn terrorist attacks” in the country and expressed solidarity with the Malian people. “We reaffirm our determination in the fight against terrorism, as well as our commitment to peace, security, and stability in Mali and throughout the Sahel,” read a statement released Sunday by the Foreign Minister’s office, Kaja Kallas.

Kidal, a bastion of Tuareg rebellion, was retaken in November 2023 by the Malian army supported by fighters from the Russian paramilitary group, Wagner, ending over a decade of control by rebel groups. The FLA also claimed to have taken control of several positions in the Gao region (north). In Kati, the stronghold of the junta in power since 2020, “sporadic and sustained gunfire at times” was heard on Sunday by residents. As a garrison town, Kati was among those attacked on Saturday by JNIM jihadists and the FLA.

The Minister of Defense killed in Saturday’s attack

The Malian Defense Minister, Sadio Camara, a key figure of the junta in power since 2020, was killed in the attack on Saturday in Kati by the Sahelian branch of Al-Qaeda. “In the Kati attack, Minister Camara was killed along with his second wife […],” stated a family member. “We have lost a very dear one, the Defense Minister. He fell on the field of honor,” indicated a government source, confirmed by other military sources. According to residents, the minister’s residence in Kati was largely destroyed on Saturday by a strong explosion. Initially, his entourage denied rumors that Sadio Camara was injured.

In a statement released Saturday night, JNIM, which has been fighting against the military in power in Bamako for years, claimed a “victory” following these attacks, stating that it was the result of “hard work,” “coordination with its partners,” and “thanks to the active participation of our brothers” from the FLA.

Since 2012, Mali has been facing a deep security crisis fueled mainly by the violence of jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), as well as communal criminal groups and separatists. In September 2024, JNIM claimed a rare and significant double attack on the military airport in the capital Bamako and the gendarmerie school, which resulted in over 70 deaths and 200 injuries, according to security sources.