Mali Junta In Crisis After Defence Minister Killed, Key City ‘Captured’ By Rebels

Mali’s Defence Minister Gen. Sadio Camara was killed after jihadist militants and separatist rebels launched sweeping coordinated attacks across several cities, seizing towns and military bases in one of the most significant assaults on the country’s security forces in years.

The attacks, carried out on Saturday, targeted multiple locations including Bamako, Kati, Gao, Mopti and the northern city of Kidal , striking military bases and government positions across the country. The offensive involved the al-Qaida-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) , marking a rare coordinated push between jihadist militants and separatist rebels.

Authorities said a suicide car bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into Camara’s residence in the garrison town of Kati , near the capital Bamako. The blast was followed by heavy gunfire as militants stormed the area. Camara reportedly fought the attackers and neutralised several militants before he was seriously wounded. He was taken to hospital but later succumbed to his injuries , officials confirmed.

Reports indicated that the explosion destroyed Camara’s residence and nearby buildings, killing his second wife and two grandchildren along with several civilians in surrounding structures.

During the assault, Mali’s junta leader Assimi Goïta was evacuated from Kati to a secure military camp , while intelligence chief Modibo Koné and army chief Gen. Oumar Diarra were reportedly wounded in the fighting. Koné later died of his injuries, according to reports.

Separatist rebels claimed they had taken control of Kidal , a symbolic stronghold of the Tuareg rebellion, after Malian forces and Russian-backed Africa Corps personnel withdrew from the area.

The government said at least 16 civilians and soldiers were injured , though no official death toll has been released. Authorities imposed a curfew in Bamako and declared two days of national mourning following the killing of the defence minister.

Regional organisations including ECOWAS, as well as the United Nations and African Union, condemned the attacks, warning that the escalating violence threatens stability across the wider Sahel region.

The coordinated offensive underscores the worsening security crisis in Mali, where jihadist insurgencies and separatist rebellions have intensified despite the junta’s growing military partnership with Russia.