Mali’s Defence Minister General Sadio Camara has been killed amid coordinated attacks on military sites across the country.
The minister was confirmed dead on Sunday after his residence in the garrison town of Kati came under attack during the simultaneous attacks launched by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Camara was a central figure in the military government that seized power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.
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
The minister’s death was described as a major blow to the country’s armed forces.
The assailants were said to have 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.
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Gunmen also attacked several other locations across Mali, including Bamako, as well as Gao and Kidal in the north, and the central city of Sevare.
Interim President Assimi Goita has come under pressure since the attack, with analysts saying the authorities appeared to have been caught off guard by the latest wave of violence.
Sources told Al Jazeera Goita is alive and well in a secure location.
The African Union, the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United States Bureau of African Affairs condemned the attacks across Mali.
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