Mali in turmoil after insurgents seize towns and kill defence minister
Summary
Jihadist and separatist groups in Mali launched coordinated attacks that seized several towns and military bases, killing Mali’s defence minister and military intelligence chief. The attacks involved car bombs and drones and affected key locations near the capital and in northern and central Mali.Key Facts
- The defence minister, Sadio Camara, was killed in an attack using a suicide car bomb at his home in Kati.
- The military intelligence chief, Modibo Koné, was also reportedly killed.
- The attackers included the al-Qaida-linked group JNIM and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), who were once enemies.
- The violence took place in Kati, Gao, Mopti, Sévaré, and Kidal, with heavy gunfire near the main airport and military base.
- Videos showed militants inside the governor’s residence in Kidal, a key northern town.
- Mali’s military government led by Assimi Goïta has not yet made a public statement on the attacks.
- Africa Corps, a private military group that replaced Russia’s Wagner mercenaries, reportedly withdrew peacefully from Kidal before the attack.
- Mali has struggled for years with Islamist militants and separatists, shifting alliances including turning away from Western partners and working with Russian-linked forces.
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