Mali’s Defence Minister, Sadio Camara, has been killed in an attack on his residence in Kati, the government confirmed on Sunday, following coordinated assaults by insurgent groups across the country.
According to government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, a vehicle-borne explosive device driven by a suicide attacker rammed into Camara’s residence in the town of Kati, near the capital Bamako.
Coulibaly said a firefight followed the explosion, during which the minister sustained injuries and later died in hospital. He added that Mali would observe two days of national mourning in honour of victims of the attacks.
The assault formed part of a broader wave of coordinated operations claimed by insurgent groups, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda-linked network active in the Sahel region. The group reportedly collaborated with Tuareg rebel elements to carry out simultaneous strikes across multiple locations in Mali.
Authorities have not released an official death toll, though the government expressed condolences for both civilian and military casualties. Officials described the offensive as one of the most extensive coordinated attacks in recent years.
Security analysts and diplomats say the assaults targeted more than six locations, underscoring the growing operational reach of militant groups in the region.
The United Nations has condemned the violence, calling for an international response to rising insecurity across the Sahel. A UN spokesperson said the Secretary-General was deeply concerned by the reports and strongly condemned the attacks.
The developments add to ongoing instability in Mali, where military authorities continue to battle insurgent groups despite sustained security operations and international pressure to restore order.
