In Mali, authorities have confirmed the death of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, killed in a suicide attack.
The country faced a dark weekend marked by coordinated attacks carried out nationwide by jihadist fighters and separatist rebels. The rebels also seized control of a key city in the north of the country.
So far, no statement has been made by the head of the junta, General Assimi Goïta, who has not been seen since the start of the attacks at dawn on Saturday.
The offensive, synchronized by the Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition and the jihadist group Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), targeted several areas of Mali.
Fighting continued on Sunday in several areas, including Kati, the northern towns of Kidal and Gao, and Sévaré in central Mali.
Government troops were still fighting in parts of the country, but the loss of Defense Minister Sadio Camara on Saturday dealt a severe blow to the administration.
Sadio Camara, his second wife and two of his grandchildren were killed after a car bomb attack on his home in Kati, a junta stronghold on the outskirts of Bamako, his family and an official said.
A government statement released Sunday indicated that Camara died fighting his attackers, " having managed to neutralize some of them . " The general died in hospital from his injuries. He will be given a state funeral , the statement added.
The country has also declared two days of mourning.
The measures were announced on the public channel ORTM by the government spokesperson, General Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, who stated that flags would be flown at half-mast throughout the country.
The rebels claim to have taken Kidal
Tuareg rebels told AFP they had reached an agreement allowing the forces of the Africa Corps (formerly known as Wagner, a Russian mercenary group), which support the Malian army, to withdraw from the city of Kidal in the north of the country, which they claim to now control "totally" .
"We saw a military convoy leave, but we don't know the details of what's happening. The fighters from the armed groups have now taken control of the streets ," said a resident.
The Malian army had retaken Kidal, a Tuareg stronghold, in November 2023 with the help of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, ending more than a decade of rebel control.
The FLA, composed mainly of Tuareg groups who are demanding the independence of Azawad, a territory in northern Mali, also claimed to have taken positions in the Gao region, in the north of the country.
Mali has been ravaged for more than a decade by conflict and jihadist violence, but Saturday's attacks were the worst since 2020 , when the junta took power.
The situation in Sévaré, in central Mali, where gunfire could still be heard, remained "confusing" , a local official said.
While no information has leaked and the head of the junta, Assimi Goïta, has not yet been seen, a Malian source close to the security services told AFP that he was in a safe place.
Residents at their wits' end
On Sunday, the international airport, located just outside the capital Bamako, had resumed its activities, after violent fighting on Saturday in the outlying district of Senou.
"I can still hear the explosions ringing in my ears. It's traumatic ," said one resident.
In Bamako, troops had blocked access to military installations using barriers and tires placed on the roads, an AFP journalist reported.
The Coalition of Forces for the Republic (CFR), the opposition, said in a statement that Mali was "in danger" .
The junta had "promised Malians security, stability, and the return of the state ," she said. After the weekend offensive, no one could seriously claim that Mali was pacified or safe, she added.
Reactions from all over the world
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) denounced these attacks in a statement, calling them a "monstrous plot supported by the enemies of the liberation of the Sahel ." The AES comprises the three West African states ruled by the junta: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the "acts of violence" in Mali, his spokesman said in a statement.
"The Secretary-General calls for coordinated international support to address the growing threat of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel and to respond to urgent humanitarian needs ," added spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
On Sunday, the European Union condemned the "terrorist attacks" in Mali.
A country with significant natural resources
Mali has resources, including gold and other precious minerals.
Malian leaders, like their military counterparts in neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, have severed ties with the former colonial power, France, and several Western countries, thus moving closer to Russia.
The Africa Corps, under the direct control of the Russian Ministry of Defense, took over from the Wagner mercenary group to help Malian forces fight jihadists.
