Malian Defence Minister killed in jihadist attack
Malian Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in jihadist attack on April 25th at his residence in Kati.
Mali’s internal strife has once again escalated as the junta confirmed the killing of Defence Minister Sadio Camara in a jihadist attack on April 26th, according to RFI and agencies on April 27th.
Camara was killed at his residence in Kati on April 25th in attacks perpetrated by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), in partnership with the Tuareg separatist-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).
Reportedly, Camara was killed when assailants used a truck packed with explosives, striking Camara’s house and neighbouring homes, along with a nearby mosque.
His killing occurred during coordinated attacks by JNIM and the FLA on April 25th that targeted Bamako and garrison towns, including Kati, Sévaré, Gao, and Kidal.
By the evening of April 26th, military officials announced that Malian forces repelled the attacks and killed “200 terrorists”; the junta also announced two days of national mourning following Camara’s death.
JNIM is behind the fuel blockade Mali has experienced since September 2025; militants exploited Mali’s landlocked status and reliance on fuel imports to destabilise the country, which they envision will lead to the establishment of an Islamic Republic.
The FLA recaptured Kidal on April 25th following a wave of attacks against Russian mercenaries in the northern region; however, the FLA’s claims could not be independently verified.
On April 26th, a Tuareg spokesperson wrote on social media: “Fighting resumed in Kidal this morning.”
“We want to drive out the last Russian fighters who have taken refuge in a camp.”
Following negotiations, troops from the Russian Africa Corps and the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) left Kidal for Gao, with FAMA acknowledging that troops are no longer present in Kidal.
Kidal is a Tuareg stronghold that has been the site of tensions since the latest uprising began in 2012; separatists have waged war against the government in their quest for an independent state, which they call Azawad.
Malian forces regained control of Kidal in November 2023 after years of Tuareg-led insurgencies.
An indigenous Berber group, the Tuaregs are predominantly located in northern Mali, Niger and southern Algeria.
It is estimated that approximately 700,000 Tuaregs live in Mali, while another 2.7 million reside in neighbouring Niger.
Due to growing threats from Islamist insurgencies and Tuareg separatists, Mali’s junta has increasingly sought to maintain stability through strategic and security partnerships with Russia.
Camara spoke at a summit in Moscow in August 2025, where he described “cooperation in the field of defence is the largest area of cooperation between [Mali and Russia].”
Maghrebi has contacted the Prime Minister’s Office for comment regarding Camara’s death, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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