Mali's Defence Minister General Sadio Camara was killed on April 25 when a suicide bomber drove a car into his residence in Kati, a heavily fortified garrison town 15 kilometres northwest of the capital Bamako.

His death came as coordinated attacks by jihadist militants and Tuareg separatists struck cities across the country in what analysts described as one of the largest and most ambitious offensives seen in the Sahel in recent years.

Camara died alongside his second wife and two grandchildren in the bombing, according to family members and government sources. A relative confirmed his death to Reuters, while a Malian journalist known to be his brother-in-law posted about it on social media.

"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," said Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque, who has reported extensively from the country. "His death is a major blow to the country's armed forces."

"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," the Qatar-based outlet wrote.

The assault

The attacks began at approximately 05:30 on April 25 morning, with simultaneous strikes on targets in Bamako, the garrison town of Kati, and the northern cities of Gao, Kidal and Sévaré. In Bamako, sustained gunfire and explosions were heard near the main airport — Modibo Keïta International — forcing the cancellation of incoming and outgoing flights. The US Embassy urged American citizens to shelter in place and avoid all travel.

Responsibility was claimed jointly by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), the al-Qaeda affiliate that has been the dominant jihadist force in the Sahel for several years, and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-dominated separatist group that controls territory in Mali's far north.

The two groups had previously been fighting each other but announced a cooperation agreement last year. "These are two groups fighting for different objectives," analyst Bulama Bukarti told Al Jazeera. "But they came together last year and said they would work together going forward, and what we have seen over the last few days is the actual implementation of this agreement."  

Kati is considered one of the most secure locations in the country — the stronghold of the ruling junta where interim President Assimi Goïta also resides. Goïta was reported to be "alive and well in a secure location" and to remain in command of the military, having been moved to safety when the attack began.  

The FLA claimed its fighters had seized control of Kidal, a strategic northern city that has long been a separatist stronghold. A spokesperson for the group said a deal had been struck to allow Russian mercenaries to leave a besieged camp outside the city where Malian armed forces were still entrenched. Mali's armed forces, however, said on April 26 that operations to repel insurgents were still under way in Kidal, and residents said the sounds of heavy gunfire and explosions could still be heard in the city.

JNIM also claimed the September 2024 attack on a gendarmerie training school near Bamako airport that killed approximately 70 people. More recently, the group carried out an effective fuel blockade that starved the capital's residents and businesses of power and supplies.

Russia's Africa Corps: claims and counterclaims

Russia's Africa Corps — the successor to the Wagner Group that was rebranded under direct Russian military command following the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin — issued a detailed statement claiming its forces had played a decisive role in repelling the assault. The statement claimed Africa Corps personnel had held all significant positions and airfields, repelled attacks in Bamako, provided air support to Malian troops and prevented the capture of the presidential palace.

The Africa Corps statement claimed that "over 1,000 terrorists" had been killed across all theatres — more than 200 in Bamako, 500 in Gao, 300 in Kati and 200 in Kidal — along with over 100 vehicles destroyed. It described the operation as preventing "a Syrian scenario" in Mali.

The statement also made unverified allegations of Western involvement, claiming the attacking forces had been "trained by Western intelligence agencies" and that "Ukrainian and European mercenaries" had participated in attacks in the Kidal and Gao areas using Western-supplied Stinger and Mistral man-portable air defence systems.

These claims could not be independently verified and were not corroborated by any Western government or independent reporting. Ukraine denied any involvement. The allegations follow a pattern of Russian information operations in the Sahel that have sought to frame jihadist activity as Western-sponsored regime change.

Mali's foreign minister told Reuters that neighbouring states and foreign powers were backing terrorist groups, but declined to name the countries.

Security tested

The assault represents a severe test of the security proposition that Mali's ruling junta offered its population when it expelled French forces and the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA, turning instead to Russia. The violence is the latest sign that Mali's government is struggling to deliver greater security after kicking out Western forces and replacing them with Russian backing.

The government has recently pursued closer ties with Washington, which has sought to rebuild cooperation on security and explore mining opportunities — a notable shift from its earlier alignment with Moscow, and one that the attack may now complicate further.

The African Union, the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United States Bureau of African Affairs all condemned the attacks. The UN secretary-general expressed deep concern and called for an international response.

Analysts say it was likely that "more battles for control of territory and strategic locations" would happen in the coming days. With Camara dead, Kidal's status unresolved and fighting continuing into a second day, Mali's junta faces the gravest challenge to its authority since seizing power in the back-to-back coups of 2020 and 2021.