Mali Defence Minister Sadio Camara has been killed in an attack carried out by an al Qaeda-linked group, JNIM, on his residence at the Kati military base outside Bamako on Saturday, according to France’s RFI radio on Sunday.
Violence continued on Sunday, one day after an al Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels launched one of the largest coordinated assaults seen in the country in recent years. A Reuters witness reported hearing gunfire in a garrison town near the capital, Bamako.
The United Nations has called for an international response to the rising wave of violence and terrorism across the West Africa Sahel region following the large-scale attacks on Saturday.
ALSO READ: Trump unharmed, suspect detained after gunfire at correspondents’ dinner
“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several locations across Mali. He strongly condemns these acts of violence,” a U.N. spokesperson posted on X.
The al Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels said they were responsible for the coordinated attacks around Bamako, in gold-producing areas and other parts of Mali. The operations are being described as among the boldest carried out in their campaign against the military-led government.
The full number of deaths and injuries remains unclear as of Sunday. The situation in the contested city of Kidal is also uncertain, after the insurgents claimed they had recaptured it from government forces during the offensive.
(Reuters)