Mali’s Defence minister has been killed in an apparent suicide truck bombing on his residence near the capital Bamako. Multiple news outlets reported the death of Sadio Camara, part of a wave of coordinated attacks by jihadist militants and separatists carried out across the country.
There has been no confirmation from the military junta, but further reports say its head, Gen Assimi Goita, was moved to a safe location after his home was targeted.
Quoting Camara’s family and French media, news agencies said the attack – launched by militants affiliated with al-Qaeda in Kati on Saturday – also killed at least three of Camara’s family members.
In a major shift in the security landscape of the Sahel, Malian government forces and Russian mercenaries have withdrawn from the strategic northern city of Kidal. The retreat follows a weekend of massive, coordinated attacks across the country that have left the military junta’s grip on power increasingly fragile and dealt a significant blow to Moscow’s influence in West Africa.
The Fall of Kidal
On Sunday, April 26, 2026, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-led separatist group, announced that it had reached an agreement for the “peaceful exit” of Malian soldiers and Russian Africa Corps (formerly known as the Wagner Group) personnel from Kidal.
“Kidal is declared free,” stated FLA spokesperson Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadan. Witnesses confirmed seeing a convoy of Russian and Malian troops departing from the former UN camp under rebel escort, marking a stark reversal from 2023 when the junta celebrated the city’s capture as a turning point in their fight against insurgency.
A Nationwide Offensive
The withdrawal was triggered by a series of simultaneous assaults on Saturday, April 25, that targeted the capital, Bamako, and several other major cities, including Kati, Gao, and Mopti.
The attacks were notable for their unprecedented scale and the surprising coordination between two historically distinct groups:
- The FLA (Tuareg Rebels): Seeking independence for the northern Azawad region.
- JNIM (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin): An Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group.
The alliance targeted high-profile locations, including the Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako and the Kati military base, the residence of the country’s military leader, General Assimi Goïta.
High-Profile Casualties and Chaos
Reports from the ground suggest the attacks were catastrophic for the Malian leadership. Sources, including Al Jazeera, have reported that Defense Minister General Sadio Camara was killed during the onslaught, though official confirmation from the junta remains pending.
In the capital, a three-day overnight curfew has been imposed as security forces struggle to restore order. The U.S. Embassy in Mali has urged all American citizens to shelter in place, citing “sustained gunfire and explosions” near major government installations.
A Blow to Russian Soft Power
For Russia, the retreat from Kidal represents a humiliating setback. Analysts suggest that the Africa Corps was caught off guard by the intelligence failure and the sheer coordination of the rebel groups.
“The attacks are a major blow to Russia, as the mercenaries had no intelligence about the attacks and were unable to protect major cities,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
The withdrawal also comes amid reports that some Russian personnel have been redeployed to the front lines in Ukraine, leaving their Malian counterparts increasingly vulnerable.
Regional Reaction
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a statement on Sunday strongly condemning the violence and calling for a unified regional effort to combat the escalating “scourge” of terrorism. However, with Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso having recently distanced themselves from the bloc in favor of Russian security guarantees, the path toward a coordinated regional response remains uncertain.
The FLA has already called on Russia to reconsider its support for the Bamako junta, warning that the alliance between the military regime and foreign mercenaries has only deepened the suffering of the Malian people.
Stay tuned to www.abtnews.net for more updates on the developing situation in Mali and across the Sahel.
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