Sadio Camara, Mali’s defense minister, was killed in a series of coordinated attacks carried out across Mali, officials confirmed on Sunday (April 26).
Government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said the minister died after a suicide car bomb targeted his residence in Kati, a heavily guarded military town near the capital, Bamako. The attack was part of a broader wave of coordinated strikes launched nationwide on Saturday.
According to Agence France-Presse, Camara’s second wife and two of his grandchildren were also killed in the attack.
Camara was a central figure in Mali’s transitional government formed after the 2020 and 2021 military coups, and was widely seen as a potential future leader. His death is considered a significant blow to the country’s military leadership.
Responsibility for the attacks has been claimed by the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, along with the Tuareg rebel group Azawad Liberation Front.
Despite Kati’s reputation as a secure military hub, attackers were able to breach the area and carry out the bombing. During the incident, interim President Assimi Goïta was moved to a safe location and remains under military protection.
The violence extended beyond the capital, with attacks reported in northern cities such as Gao and Kidal, as well as the central town of Sévaré. Residents in Kidal said heavy gunfire continued into Sunday.
Analysts warn that the situation could worsen as armed groups compete for territorial control and form new alliances, potentially deepening instability across the country.
The attacks have drawn strong condemnation from the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the United States’ Africa Bureau, and the European Union, all of which called for calm and a return to stability in Mali.
