Mali’s Defence Minister, General Sadio Camara, has been killed during coordinated attacks on military sites nationwide, sources told Al Jazeera.
The news broke on Sunday, one day after his residence in the heavily fortified garrison town of Kati came under attack as part of simultaneous assaults by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels.
Camara was a central figure in the military government that seized power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential members of the ruling junta and had been seen by some as a potential future leader of Mali.
Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, who has reported extensively from the country, described the death as “a major blow to the country’s armed forces.”According to Haque, attackers carried out a suicide car bomb assault on Camara’s residence in Kati, a key military town located about 15km (9 miles) northwest of the capital, Bamako, where Interim President Assimi Goïta also resides.
“Kati is considered one of the most secure locations in the country, yet fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), along with Tuareg fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), were able to launch the attack,” Haque said.
Interim President Goïta was reported to be “alive and well” and was moved to a secure location during the attacks. He remains in command of the military, Haque added.The coordinated strikes on Saturday targeted multiple military sites across Mali, marking a significant escalation by JNIM and allied Tuareg rebels against the junta.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com