Mali defence minister who backed closer ties with Russia killed – Reuters

Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara, who advocated closer ties with Russia, was killed in an attack on his residence by a group linked to al-Qaeda on Saturday 25 April.

Source: Reuters, citing French radio RFI and two of Camara's relatives

Details: The operation in Kati, about 15 km north of the capital Bamako, was part of a broader offensive by the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which cooperated with a Tuareg-dominated rebel group. Analysts and diplomats described it as one of the largest coordinated attacks in the country in recent years.

One of Camara's relatives told Reuters that he had been killed, while a Malian journalist who is the defence minister's son-in-law posted about his death on Facebook. A Reuters witness also reported gunfire in Kati on the morning of 26 April.

The UN has called for an international response to the violence and terrorism in the Sahel region of West Africa following Saturday's attack.

"The Secretary‑General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several locations across Mali. He strongly condemns these acts of violence," a UN spokesperson wrote on X (Twitter).

"If confirmed, Camara's death would represent a major shock for Mali's military leaders," said Djenabou Cisse, a research fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) specialising in security issues in West Africa.

The current government, led by Assimi Goita, came to power following coups in 2020 and 2021 and has sought to build closer ties with Russia while distancing itself from military cooperation with Western countries.

"As a key ​figure within the junta and a central architect of the Mali-Russia rapprochement, his removal would underscore JNIM's capacity to strike at the core of state power," Cisse added.

In addition to Kati, Saturday's attacks also targeted the area around Bamako airport and settlements further north, namely Mopti, Sevare and Gao.

The situation in the strategic city of Kidal, a former stronghold of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) – a predominantly Tuareg group that had cooperated with JNIM – remains unclear.

The FLA said in an official statement that Kidal had fallen, while a group spokesperson wrote on X that an agreement had been reached for Russian mercenaries to withdraw from a besieged camp outside the city, where Malian armed forces were still holding positions.

However, the Malian armed forces said in a statement on 26 April that operations to repel the insurgents were ongoing, including in Kidal.

Russian state‑run broadcaster Vesti reported on 26 April that Russia's so-called Africa Corps had repelled a large-scale Islamist attack on Mali's government. According to Vesti, Russian forces acted jointly with units from the presidential guard and the Malian armed forces, preventing the capture of the presidential palace. Some members of Russia's Africa Corps were wounded.

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