Details of the assassination of Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara

Mali's Defense Minister, General Sadio Camara, was killed amid attacks on military sites across the country.

The news came on Sunday, a day after his home in the military town of Kati was attacked during simultaneous assaults by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels on Saturday.

Camara was a pivotal figure in the military government that took power after two successive coups in 2020 and 2021 in Mali.

Camara is one of the most influential figures in Mali

Al Jazeera correspondent Nicholas Haq, who has covered events in Mali, said: “Camara was one of the most influential figures within the ruling military leadership, and some saw him as a possible future leader of Mali. His death represents a major blow to the country’s armed forces.”.

Haq said the attackers carried out a suicide car bombing at Camara's house in Kati, a heavily fortified military town about 15 kilometers northwest of the capital, Bamako.

He explained: “Kati is considered one of the safest locations in Mali, yet fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, along with Tuareg fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front, were able to launch the attack.”.

Haq added: “At this moment, the residents of Kidal, a military garrison town, are still hearing heavy gunfire and loud explosions. This operation is still ongoing more than 24 hours after it began.”.

Mali's president is alive and well.

Gunmen also attacked several other locations across Mali, including Bamako, as well as Gao and Kidal in the north, and the central city of Sévaré.

Mali's interim president, Assimi Goïta, has been under pressure since the attack, with analysts saying authorities appeared to have been caught off guard by the latest wave of violence.

Haq said that Mali's President Goita is "alive and well in a safe place.".

He added: “When the attack occurred, he was moved to a safe place, and therefore he is still leading the army.”.