Mali Defense Minister Killed In Attack That Saw Jihadis And Rebels Seize Towns, Military Bases

DAKAR, Senegal — Malian Minister of Defense Gen. Sadio Camara was killed successful an onslaught arsenic jihadi and rebel forces seized towns and subject bases crossed nan country, according to a subject serviceman and 2 different sources Sunday.

There was nary contiguous remark from nan Malian government.

“Unfortunately, nan Ministry of Defense, Gen. Sadio Camara, has been killed during nan onslaught which targeted his location yesterday,” said a subject charismatic who said connected information of anonymity because he did not person support to speak to nan media.

Two different people, a civilian nine leader and a information member, confirmed nan information.

Separatist fighters connected Saturday joined Islamic militants successful launching 1 of nan biggest coordinated attacks connected nan Malian service successful nan superior and respective different cities, which near an chartless number of militants dormant and astatine slightest 16 group wounded, including civilians, nan authorities said.

The separatists person been fighting for years to create an independent authorities successful bluish Mali, while militants aligned pinch Al Qaeda and nan Islamic State group person been fighting nan authorities for much than a decade.

Malian troops and Russian mercenaries withdrew from nan bluish metropolis of Kidal aft nan attacks, nan rebels said Sunday.

A spokesperson for nan Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front, aliases FLA, a separatist group, said nan Russian Africa Corps troops and nan Malian subject withdrew from nan metropolis aft an statement was reached for their serene exit.

“Kidal is declared free,” FLA spokesperson Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadan said.

The Malian service did not respond to requests for remark but successful an earlier connection said it was “tracking down violent equipped groups successful Kidal.”

The separatists person been fighting for years to create an independent authorities successful bluish Mali. Kidal had agelong served arsenic a stronghold of nan rebellion earlier being taken by Malian authorities forces and Russian mercenaries successful 2023. Its seizure marked a important symbolic triumph for nan junta and its Russian allies.

It was nan first clip nan separatists worked alongside nan Al Qaeda-linked militant group JNIM, which besides claimed work for Saturday’s attacks connected Bamako’s world airdrome and 4 different cities, including Kidal, successful cardinal and bluish Mali.

“This cognition is being carried retired successful business pinch nan JNIM, which is besides committed to defending nan group against nan subject authorities successful Bamako,” Ramadan said.

Wassim Nasr, a Sahel master and elder investigation chap astatine nan Soufan Center information deliberation tank, said that nan coordination betwixt nan 2 groups, arsenic good arsenic nan definitive telephone for nan Russian subject to leave, is new.

“The coordination, conducting attacks each complete nan state astatine nan aforesaid clip — existent coordination connected nan subject level but besides connected nan governmental level, because some claims of some groups they acknowledged that they worked together — this is simply a first,” said Nasr.

Malian authorities spokesperson Gen. Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said connected authorities tv precocious Saturday that 16 group were wounded, including civilians and subject personnel, and that respective militants were killed. He did not supply a decease toll.

The politician of Bamako’s district, Abdoulaye Coulibaly, announced a three-day overnight curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The Economic Community of West African States, a location bloc known arsenic ECOWAS, condemned nan attacks Sunday and called connected “all states, information forces, location mechanisms and populations of West Africa to merge and mobilize successful a coordinated effort to combat this scourge.”

The separatists called connected Russia to “reconsider its support for nan subject junta successful Bamako, whose actions person contributed to nan suffering of nan civilian population.”

Following subject coups, nan juntas successful Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso turned from Western friends to Russia for thief combating Islamic militants. But nan information business has worsened successful caller times, pinch a grounds number of attacks by militants. Government forces person besides been accused of sidesplitting civilians they fishy of collaborating pinch militants.

In 2024, an Al Qaeda-linked group claimed an onslaught connected Bamako’s airdrome and a subject training campy successful nan capital, sidesplitting scores of people.

Ulf Laessing, caput of nan Sahel programme astatine nan Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said that while nan attacks undermined nan credibility of Mali’s Russian partners, JNIM is improbable to return power of Bamako successful nan adjacent word fixed guidance from nan section population.

“The attacks are a awesome rustle to Russia, arsenic nan mercenaries had nary intelligence astir nan attacks and were incapable to protect awesome cities. They person unnecessarily worsened nan conflict by not distinguishing betwixt civilians and combatants,” Laessing said.

Mcmakin writes for nan Associated Press.