BAMAKO, Mali:
Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara was reportedly killed in an attack carried out by militants linked to the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jama’at Nasrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) at his home near a military camp on the outskirts of Bamako, according to media reports and two of his relatives on Sunday.
The assault was allegedly conducted by JNIM fighters working alongside a Tuareg rebel faction, in what analysts described as one of the largest attacks seen in Mali in recent years.
One of Camara’s relatives told Reuters that he had been killed, while a Malian journalist who is also the minister’s brother-in-law posted news of his death on Facebook.
However, spokespersons for Mali’s Defence Ministry and government did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
According to a statement issued by the Malian army, operations are continuing in several parts of the country against terrorists and rebel groups.
On Saturday, JNIM militants, together with Tuareg rebels, launched a wave of coordinated attacks across Mali in what was described as part of a campaign to topple the country’s military-led government.
The Malian military said its forces responded by killing “hundreds” of attackers and foiling additional assaults targeting several sites in and around Bamako.
The army headquarters, however, did not provide an exact casualty figure for the militants.
Government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said 16 people were injured in the attacks and assured the public that the situation had been brought under control in all affected areas.
The United Nations called on the international community to intervene to help stabilise violence and terrorism across the Sahel region following Saturday’s attacks.
“The Secretary-General is disturbed by reports of attacks in several areas of Mali. He strongly condemns these acts of violence,” a UN spokesperson said in a statement posted on X.
If Camara’s death is confirmed, it would be a major blow to Mali’s military leadership, according to researcher Djenabou Cisse of the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS).
Mali’s current government, led by Assimi Goita, came to power after coups in 2020 and 2021. Since then, it has strengthened ties with Russia while distancing itself from regional West African military partnerships.
That strategy had been strongly championed by Camara.
“As a senior figure and a key architect of Mali’s partnership with Russia, his killing would demonstrate that JNIM has the capacity to strike at the heart of Malian state power,” Cisse said.
On Sunday, Russian state-controlled broadcaster Vesti reported that Russian special forces in Mali, known as Africa Corps, had fought militants attacking government positions.
According to Vesti, Russian troops worked alongside presidential guard units and Malian soldiers to prevent an assault on the president’s residence.
The outlet said some members of Africa Corps were injured, but provided no further details.
Saturday’s attacks are the latest sign that Mali’s government has struggled to restore security despite repeated promises to do so.
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