Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara killed amid coordinated attacks | Conflict News

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Camara’s home within the garrison city of Kati got here underneath assault amid simultaneous assaults throughout the West African nation.

Mali’s Defence Minister Common Sadio Camara has been killed amid coordinated assaults on navy websites throughout the nation, sources informed Al Jazeera.

The information on Sunday got here a day after his residence within the garrison city of Kati got here underneath assault throughout the simultaneous assaults launched by al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels on Saturday.

Camara was a central determine within the navy authorities that seized energy after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

“He was one of the crucial influential figures inside the ruling navy management and had been seen by some as a doable future chief of Mali,” stated Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, who has reported extensively from Mali.

“His loss of life is a significant blow to the nation’s armed forces.”

Haque stated attackers carried out a suicide automobile bomb assault on Camara’s residence in Kati, a closely fortified navy city about 15km (9 miles) northwest of the capital, Bamako.

“Kati is taken into account one of the crucial safe places within the nation, but fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, together with Tuareg fighters from the Liberation Entrance of Azawad, have been in a position to launch the assault,” he stated.

Gunmen additionally attacked a number of places throughout Mali, together with Bamako, in addition to Gao and Kidal within the north, and the central metropolis of Sevare.

“As we converse, individuals within the garrison city of Kidal can nonetheless hear heavy gunfire and loud explosions,” Haque added. “This stays an ongoing operation greater than 24 hours after it started.”

Interim President Assimi Goita has come underneath stress for the reason that offensive, with analysts saying the authorities appeared to have been caught off guard by the most recent wave of violence.

Haque stated Goita was “alive and effectively in a safe location”.

“When the assault befell, he was moved to security, so he stays in charge of the navy,” he stated.

The African Union, the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the US Bureau of African Affairs condemned the assaults throughout Mali.