The Malian Minister of Defense, Sadio Camara, was killed in his residence in Kati on Saturday, April 25, amid coordinated attacks by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Tuareg rebels targeting several cities in the country. All aim for the downfall of the Malian transitional authorities led by General Assimi Goïta.
A new turning point for Mali. Over the weekend, jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) launched vast attacks on seven cities in the country, together with Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).
“Armed terrorist groups (…) targeted some points and barracks in the capital and the interior of Mali this morning, April 25,” the Malian army stated in a press release.
The city of Kati, considered the stronghold of the junta ruling the country since 2020 and hosting the residence of transition President Assimi Goïta, was particularly affected. The capital Bamako was also targeted by JNIM jihadists and FLA rebels, as well as Gao, Sévaré, Mopti, and Kidal. “The city of Kidal has come under the control of our armed forces,” stated the Azawad Liberation Front group on Facebook.
These six cities were attacked simultaneously, in an organized manner. The fighters’ objective is clear: to bring down the Malian transitional authorities.
Who was the Malian Minister of Defense killed on Saturday?
The Malian government announced on Sunday, April 26, the death of Malian Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, killed in “terrorist” attacks on Saturday by “a suicide bomber in a booby-trapped vehicle” targeting his residence in Kati, near the capital Bamako.
His death had been reported earlier in the day by relatives. Sadio Camara was one of the main officials of the junta in power since 2020.
During the “terrorist incidents” at his residence, General Camara “had exchanges with the attackers, some of whom he managed to neutralize,” the government stated in a press release issued several hours after the incident. He was injured and then transported to the hospital, where “he unfortunately succumbed,” the text said.
The attacks on Saturday and the ensuing clashes resulted in 16 civilian and military injuries and “limited material damage,” according to an assessment provided by the junta on Saturday evening.
How did the country get to this situation?
This situation is the culmination of longer tensions. In March 2012, military personnel overthrow President Amadou Toumani Touré, accusing him of “incompetence” in handling the Tuareg separatist rebellion and Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist groups, which seized control of major northern locations.
But the jihadists were partially driven out by the military operation “Serval” launched by France in 2013, replaced in 2014 by the anti-jihadist operation in the Sahel named “Barkhane,” still under French auspices.
The French army stayed in Mali for nearly a decade before withdrawing in 2022, with the African country enlisting the services of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, mercenaries fought by the Azawad Liberation Front rebels.
In July 2024, the Malian army and its Russian allies suffered their biggest setback in years, enduring heavy losses after combat against separatist rebels in Tinzaouatene in the north and a jihadist attack.
Since 2021, General Assimi Goïta has been leading the country after several coups. He gradually abandoned his promises of democratic transition. Recently, the junta leader enacted a law allowing him to renew a five-year term multiple times without elections. This means he could remain at the helm of Mali until 2030 or even 2035.
What is the situation on the ground this Monday?
After two days of intense fighting on Saturday and Sunday between the army and armed groups, calm had returned on Monday, April 27, in Bamako and Kati, a garrison town and junta stronghold situated about fifteen kilometers from the capital. These two cities were the main battlegrounds between the two sides.
No shots were heard on Monday in Kati, where clashes were ongoing the day before. Burned car wreckage and bullet impacts were visible in the area, indicating the violence of the fighting, as observed by AFP.
Calm also prevailed in the airport area, in the peripheral district of Sébénicoro. Only a few military planes were seen making regular rotations.
The country is in uncertainty: Defense Minister Sadio Camara has been killed, and junta leader General Assimi Goïta has not been seen or spoken since the hostilities began.
The European Union “strongly condemns the terrorist attacks” carried out on Saturday in Mali and expresses solidarity with the Malian people, as stated in a press release issued on Sunday by EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas.
