Mali’s Defense Minister General Sadio Camara was killed in coordinated attacks targeting several military installations across the country, according to Al Jazeera citing its sources. The assault occurred near the Kati military base, close to the capital Bamako, where Camara’s residence was struck by a suicide car bomb. The attack followed a joint offensive by an al-Qaeda-linked group and Tuareg rebels a day earlier.

Camara was a key figure in Mali’s ruling military leadership, having played a central role in the 2020 and 2021 coups that brought the current government to power. He was considered highly influential within the armed forces and viewed as a potential future leader. Al Jazeera’s reporter Nicolas Haque described his death as a major blow to Mali’s military establishment.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg rebel group Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed responsibility for the attack. Interim President Assimi Goïta, whose residence is also located in Kati, was reported safe after being moved to a secure location.