According to the spokesperson, Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, Camara died after armed assailants targeted his residence in a statement released on Sunday.
Mali’s Defence Minister, General Sadio Camara, has been killed in coordinated attacks on military sites across the country, a government spokesperson has confirmed.
According to the spokesperson, Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, Camara died after armed assailants targeted his residence in a statement released on Sunday.
His home in the garrison town of Kati came under attack on Saturday during simultaneous assaults attributed to an al-Qaeda-linked group and Tuareg rebel fighters.
Camara was a key figure in Mali’s military leadership following the 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,” said Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, who has reported extensively from the country. “His death is a major blow to the country’s armed forces.”
Haque reported that the attackers used a suicide car bomb during the assault on Camara’s heavily fortified residence in Kati, a military town about 15km northwest of the capital, Bamako, where Interim President Assimi Goita also resides.
The attack also claimed the lives of Camara’s second wife and two of his grandchildren, according to AFP.
Despite Kati being considered one of the most secure areas in the country, fighters from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), alongside Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), were able to carry out the strike.
Interim President Assimi Goita was confirmed to be safe and in a secure location.
He was moved to safety during the attack and remains in command of the military, Haque added.
The African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the United States Bureau of African Affairs, and the European Union have all condemned the attacks.
Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE
koikimedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep