TERRORISM : MALIAN MILITARY DECAPITATED: DEFENCE MINISTER SADIO CAMARA KILLED AS AL-QAEDA, REBELS STORM BARRACKS
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–COORDINATED suicide bombing hits Kati residence; Interim President Goita “caught off guard” as attacks rip through Bamako, Gao, Kidal, Sevare.
Key Issues:
– Defence Minister Killed in Residence Attack: _”Mali’s Defence Minister General Sadio Camara has been killed amid coordinated attacks on military sites across the country.”_ _”The minister was confirmed dead today [Sunday] after his residence in the garrison town of Kati came under attack during the simultaneous attacks launched by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels on Saturday, April 25, 2026.”_
– Suicide Car Bomb at Military Town: _”The assailants were said to have carried out a suicide car bomb assault on Camara’s residence in Kati, a heavily fortified military town about 15km (9 miles) northwest of the capital, Bamako.”_
– Major Blow to Junta Leadership: _”Camara was a central figure in the military government that seized power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.”_ _”He was one of the most influential figures within the ruling military leadership and had been seen by some as a possible future leader of Mali”_ _”The minister’s death was described as a major blow to the country’s armed forces.”_
– Nationwide Coordinated Assaults: _”Gunmen also attacked several other locations across Mali, including Bamako, as well as Gao and Kidal in the north, and the central city of Sevare.”_
– Goita Government Under Pressure: _”Interim President Assimi Goita has come under pressure since the attack, with analysts saying the authorities appeared to have been caught off guard by the latest wave of violence.”_
Sources told Al Jazeera Goita is alive and well in a secure location.
The African Union, the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United States Bureau of African Affairs condemned the attacks across Mali.
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