Maliʼs Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his residence on April 26. Rebels launched a series of attacks on military targets across the country yesterday.
Reuters, BBC and AFP write about this.
A car bomb driven by a suicide bomber drove into Camaraʼs residence in the city of Kati, spokesman Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said in a statement read on state television. A gunfight ensued, in which Camara was wounded and later died in hospital.
General Camara was killed along with his wife and two grandchildren, the junta said. The explosion also caused the collapse of a mosque next to his home, killing several others.
The Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, and Tuareg rebels from the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) claimed responsibility for the attack. At the same time, they also attacked military bases and other facilities in and around the capital, Bamako, as well as in Kidal, Gao, and Séwari, cities in the north and center of the country. It is known that the house of the head of the military junta, General Assimi Goitou, was also attacked and he was evacuated to a safe place.
Kamaraʼs death coincided with the withdrawal of Russiaʼs African Corps from the city of Kidal after two days of clashes. The Tuareg said they had reached an agreement allowing Malian forces and their Russian allies to withdraw. Kidal was considered a stronghold of Tuareg rebels, who controlled it for more than 10 years until the city was recaptured in November 2023 by the Malian army, backed by Russiaʼs PMC “Wagner”.
What is happening in Mali?
Tuareg rebels have been fighting for many years to create their own state in northern Mali, a significant part of which they de facto control.
Mali is currently ruled by a military junta led by General Assimi Goyta, who first seized power in a coup in 2020, promising to restore security and push back armed groups. The junta enjoyed popular support when it came to power, promising to resolve a long-running security crisis caused by a Tuareg uprising in the north that was later taken over by Islamist militants.
UN peacekeepers and French troops, who were supposed to prevent the escalation of the rebellion, left the country after the junta came to power, and the military government hired Russian mercenaries to help fight the rebels. Since then, Russiaʼs influence in Mali has grown significantly.
The African Corps, now controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defense, took over operations previously run by the PMC “Wagner” after the death of its founder Yevgeniy Prigozhin in 2023.
- In 2024, Mali severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of supporting the rebels after reports that Malian troops and the PMC “Wagner” mercenaries suffered heavy losses in clashes with the Tuareg.
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