Mali Defense Minister Killed in Attack – Latest Updates from Anadolu, Diken, and Hürriyet

Mali’s defence minister killed in suicide truck bombing at residence Mali’s defence minister has been killed in an apparent suicide truck bombing on his residence near the capital Bamako, government officials confirmed on Sunday. State TV reported that General Sadio Camara died of wounds received while engaging with attackers who targeted his home in the garrison town of Kati, approximately 15 kilometres northwest of Bamako. The attack occurred during a wave of coordinated assaults by jihadist militants and separatists across the country on Saturday. Government spokesman Issa Ousmane Coulibaly stated that Camara was killed when “a vehicle laden with explosives and driven by a suicide attacker targeted the minister’s residence.” He added that Camara exchanged fire with the attackers and “succeeded in neutralising some of them” before being wounded and later dying in hospital. The bombing led to the collapse of Camara’s residence and destroyed a nearby mosque, where several worshippers were as well killed. Reports indicate that Camara’s second wife and two of his grandchildren were among those killed in the attack on his home. The defence minister’s death comes amid a broader surge of violence, with fighting reported in Gao and Kidal in the north, as well as the central cities of Sevare and Mopti. Further north, Russian mercenaries hired by Mali’s military agreed to withdraw from Kidal after two days of clashes, according to the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) group. Camara, a central figure in Mali’s military government that seized power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, had been viewed by some as a possible future leader of the country. His killing represents a significant blow to the ruling junta led by interim President Assimi Goita, who was moved to a safe location after his home was also targeted in the attacks. Mali has faced persistent insurgencies for years from groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as the FLA. The coordinated nature of Saturday’s attacks, involving both jihadist militants and Tuareg rebels, marks one of the largest such operations in the country in recent years.