Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara has died following a car bomb attack on his residence, his family said Sunday, as heavy fighting continued between the army and jihadist fighters and separatist rebels near Bamako and other cities.
The attack occurred at the minister’s home in Kati, a key junta stronghold outside the capital, killing Camara, his second wife, and two of his grandchildren, according to family members and an official source.
The coordinated assaults, carried out Saturday by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front and jihadists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, targeted multiple locations across the country, including Kidal, Gao, and Kati.
Fighting resumed on Sunday in several areas, with reports of continued clashes around key towns. Tuareg rebels also announced an agreement allowing Russian forces supporting Mali’s army to withdraw from Kidal, which they said was now “totally” under their control.
A Tuareg representative said an accord had been reached for the withdrawal of Malian troops and their Russian allies from a military camp in the city, while residents reported seeing convoys leaving the area.
Kidal, a longstanding Tuareg stronghold, was recaptured by Mali’s military in November 2023 with support from Russian forces, ending more than a decade of rebel control.
Security sources said the latest attacks appeared aimed at high-profile symbolic targets rather than territorial control.
The government said 16 civilians and soldiers were wounded in the nationwide attacks and reported “limited material damage,” adding that the situation had been brought “under control” in all affected areas.
However, residents described panic and fear in Bamako’s outskirts, particularly near the airport district of Senou, where heavy gunfire and explosions were reported on Saturday.
In Kati, residents said calm had returned after the attackers withdrew, though anxiety remained high.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attacks, expressing concern over escalating violence across Mali and calling for stronger international cooperation to counter terrorism in the Sahel.
The European Union also denounced the assaults as terrorist attacks.
Mali, alongside Niger and Burkina Faso, has faced a decade-long insurgency linked to jihadist groups. Its military leadership has distanced the country from France and other Western partners, strengthening ties with Russia, including through the Russian Africa Corps, which has replaced the Wagner Group in supporting Malian forces.
