On Saturday, Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Kamara was attacked by al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM at his residence at the Kati military base outside Bamako, killing him.
It came just a day after Saturday, when an al-Qaeda-linked group and Tuareg rebels carried out one of the country’s largest coordinated attacks in recent years. According to a Reuters witness, gunfire echoed in a military base town near Mali’s capital.
Following Saturday’s mass attacks, the United Nations called for an international response against violence and terrorism in West Africa’s Sahel region.
“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several areas of Mali. He strongly condemns these incidents of violence,” a UN spokesperson posted on X.
An al-Qaeda-linked group and Tuareg rebels have claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks in gold-producing areas around the capital Bamako and other parts of Mali. It was one of the most daring operations conducted by the rebels in their campaign against the military-led government. As of Sunday, the exact number of deaths and injuries was not clear; It was also unclear what happened to the disputed town of Kidal, which rebels claimed to have recaptured from government forces during the attack.