Mali paid tribute on Thursday to General Sadio Camara, the Defense Minister who was killed on Saturday in an attack in the garrison town of Kati.
A car bomb exploded outside his home; members of his family were also among the victims.
"Sadio Camara, his children and his wife are dead; I pray for the repose of their souls. We are still on this earth, may God grant us a happy ending. Sadio (Camara) had sworn that he would take up arms, before leaving, he also killed many terrorists," says Sitan Dembélé, a close associate of General Sadio Camara.
The funeral brought renewed attention to the commitment of this field general. Sadio Camara was deployed to northern Mali in the late 2000s, amidst a resurgence of armed groups.
Some voices have praised Sadio Camara's involvement in defending his country's sovereignty.
"In military jargon, General Sadio Camara is, in my eyes, a very respectful and courageous young man. He was like a special envoy tasked with giving the Malian armed and security forces the impetus and capabilities necessary to preserve our territorial and air sovereignty," explains Tioulin Satigui Sidibé, a retired military officer.
Sadio Camara was among a group of five officers who overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020.
"First and foremost, I have observed a sense of patriotism among the entire Malian population, a sentiment that was reflected in what I witnessed during recent events (the funeral). I saw that the Malian people are resilient; they have gone through difficult times, but at the same time, they have great confidence in the future of this country," stated Bishop Robert Cissé, who attended the funeral.
Sadio Camara was born in 1979 in Kati, the same garrison town near the capital Bamako where his life came to an end on Saturday, in a troubled context.
