Sadio Camara, Mali’s defence minister, has been killed in a coordinated wave of attacks on military targets across the country.

Camara reportedly died after a vehicle-borne explosive detonated outside his residence in Kati, a heavily fortified garrison town about 15 kilometres northwest of Bamako, the capital, where interim President Assimi Goita and other junta leaders also reside.

The attack occurred on Saturday when jihadist fighters linked to al-Qaeda and Tuareg rebel groups launched simultaneous assaults nationwide, including on the junta stronghold in Kati.

The attackers were said to have carried out a suicide car bombing that destroyed the defence minister’s residence. Camara and at least three members of his family were said to have been killed in the blast.

Camara was a central figure in Mali’s military government, which seized power following back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

The killing came amid a broader escalation in violence across the country.

In northern Mali, fighting resumed early Sunday in Kidal.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Almaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA), said an agreement had been reached between Azawad forces and elements of the Russian Africa Corps to ensure their safe withdrawal from ongoing clashes.

“Early this morning an agreement was reached between the Azadian forces and the Russian elements of the Africa corps to guarantee their safe withdrawal from fighting,” he said in a Facebook post.

“In other words, several fighters from the GATIA de Gamou led, in particular, by Salam Ag Abanassa, have malfunctioned. Finally, elements of the Malian army retrenched in the former MINUSMA camps are currently under sustained strikes aimed at forcing them to leave their bunkers.”