Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara killed in coordinated attacks on military sites

Sadio Camara, Mali's Defence Minister, has been killed during coordinated attacks on military sites nationwide, sources told Al Jazeera on Sunday. The attacks occurred the day after his residence in the garrison town of Kati came under attack during simultaneous attacks by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels.

Camara was a central figure in the military government that seized power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque said, "He was one of the most influential figures within the ruling military leadership and had been seen by some as a possible future leader of Mali," and that "His death is a major blow to the country's armed forces." Attackers carried out a suicide car bomb assault on Camara's residence in Kati, a heavily fortified military town about 15km (9 miles) northwest of the capital, Bamako, where Interim President Assimi Goita also lives. Gunmen attacked several other locations across Mali, including Bamako, as well as Gao and Kidal in the north and the central city of Sevare.

Analyst Bulama Bukarti said it was likely that "more battles for control of territory and strategic locations" would happen in the coming days. Bukarti also highlighted how armed groups that were previously fighting each other had now joined forces to attack their common enemy - the state of Mali. Bukarti told Al Jazeera, "These are two groups fighting for different objectives," and "But they came together last year and said they would work together going forward, and what we have seen over the last few days is the actual implementation of this agreement." The African Union, the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United States Bureau of African Affairs condemned the attacks.