NAIROBI, Kenya – Mali Defence Minister Sadio Camara is dead.
Camara succumbed to injuries following a shootout with militants after a suicide car bombing targeted his residence during a series of coordinated attacks across the country.
The 47-year-old who also served as minister of state, minister of defence and veterans affairs, died from injuries sustained during an assault on his home in Kati, a garrison town near the capital, Bamako.
According to the government, his residence was struck by a vehicle bomb driven by a suicide attacker, after which Camara engaged the assailants in a firefight and “neutralized” some of them before being wounded.
The attack led to partial collapse of the residence, leaving others dead or injured nearby, and also destroyed a mosque where worshippers were inside.
Mali experienced one of its most severe security incidents in years with near-simultaneous attacks reported in Bamako, Kati, Gao, Sevare, and Kidal.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed responsibility for the coordinated raids, which targeted military installations, key infrastructure, and senior leadership positions.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that “preliminary data” suggests possible involvement of Western security services in training the attackers.
Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused France of “attempting to overthrow undesirable nationalist governments” in the Sahara-Sahel region using “outright terrorist groups” and “colonial methods.”
Russia maintains a military presence in Mali, which has faced persistent terrorist threats despite a decade-long French military operation.
Mali expelled French forces in 2022, followed by Burkina Faso and Niger, accusing Paris of supporting militant groups.
General Camara was considered one of the most influential figures in Mali’s ruling security establishment and a key architect of the country’s shift away from French-led security cooperation.
Authorities said he would be accorded a national funeral.
