Ask Onix
Defence minister dies in targeted suicide attack
Mali's defence minister, Sadio Camara, was killed on Saturday when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into his residence near the capital, Bamako, government officials confirmed.
The attack, claimed by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants, also killed at least three members of Camara's family and several worshippers at a nearby mosque, according to statements from the minister's relatives and French media reports.
State television later announced that Camara had died from wounds sustained while engaging the attackers. Government spokesman Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said in a Sunday statement that the minister had exchanged gunfire with the assailants and "neutralised some of them" before succumbing to his injuries in hospital.
The blast destroyed Camara's home and collapsed part of the adjacent mosque, where multiple fatalities were reported.
Coordinated assaults rock multiple regions
Camara's death occurred during a wave of simultaneous attacks across Mali, described by analysts as one of the largest coordinated jihadist offensives in years.
Fighting erupted in the northern cities of Kidal, Gao, and Mopti, as well as in the central town of Sévaré and the military hub of Kati, where the defence minister's residence was targeted.
"This appears to be the most extensive coordinated jihadist attack on Mali in recent memory,"
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the multi-pronged assault, while separatist Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched concurrent offensives in the north.
Russian mercenaries agree to withdraw from Kidal
Amid the violence, the FLA announced on Sunday that Russian mercenaries hired by Mali's military had agreed to withdraw from Kidal following two days of intense clashes.
FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told the BBC that an agreement had been reached with the Russian forces, now part of the Africa Corps, to ensure their "secure withdrawal" from the city. He later declared that Kidal was "now free" and that the mercenaries were leaving permanently.
Mali's military has not confirmed the withdrawal or the FLA's claims of control over Kidal, which served as the separatist movement's de facto headquarters for over a decade before being recaptured by government forces and Russian mercenaries in late 2023.
An FLA field commander told the BBC that the group had been preparing the offensive for months, with the goal of seizing Gao and later Timbuktu.
Government vows retaliation as security tightens
Mali's military junta, led by Gen. Assimi Goïta, responded to the attacks by declaring a nationwide security alert, reinforcing checkpoints, and deploying large-scale patrols. Curfews were imposed in several areas, including Bamako, where a nightly curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 local time (GMT) is in effect until Monday.
State broadcaster ORTM reported that 16 people, including civilians and soldiers, were injured in the attacks, which it described as causing "limited damage." The military confirmed that fighting was ongoing in Kidal, Kati, and other regions but insisted the situation was "completely under control."
In a Sunday statement, the military pledged that the violence would "not go unanswered."
Regional and international reactions
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the "acts of violence" and expressed solidarity with the Malian people. The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), which Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso left following military coups, also denounced the attacks.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, said he was monitoring the situation with "deep concern."
Burkina Faso's military ruler, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, who leads the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)-a bloc that includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso-called the attacks "barbaric and inhumane" in a Sunday statement. Traoré accused "enemies of the Sahel liberation struggle" of backing the violence but affirmed that the attacks would not "shake the will of the Sahel's people to live in freedom, peace, and dignity."
Background: Mali's enduring conflict
Mali has been gripped by insurgencies for over a decade, beginning with a Tuareg rebellion in the north that was later hijacked by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The FLA has long fought for an independent Tuareg state in northern Mali, a region it has largely controlled at various points.
The current military junta, which seized power in a 2020 coup, initially enjoyed public support for its promise to restore security. However, after expelling UN peacekeepers and French forces, the government turned to Russian mercenaries to combat the insurgency. Despite these efforts, large swathes of northern and eastern Mali remain outside government control, and jihadist violence has persisted.
