Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in a suicide truck bombing at his residence near the capital Bamako, as a wave of coordinated attacks by jihadist militants and separatists swept the country.
State TV confirmed the death hours later, stating that Camara died from wounds sustained while engaging the attackers. The head of the military junta, General Assimi Goita, was moved to a secure location after his home was also targeted.
In the north, Russian mercenaries hired by Mali's military agreed to withdraw from Kidal after two days of clashes, according to the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).
Mali has long been plagued by insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as the FLA. News agencies reported that the attack also killed at least three of Camara's family members.
Government spokesman Issa Ousmane Coulibaly read a statement on Sunday evening confirming that "a vehicle laden with explosives and driven by a suicide attacker targeted the minister's residence." Camara exchanged fire with the attackers and "succeeded in neutralizing some of them," but was wounded and later died in hospital.
The attack caused the collapse of Camara's residence and destroyed a nearby mosque, killing worshippers.
Fighting was reported in Kati, a major military base outside Bamako, as well as in Gao, Kidal, and the central cities of Sevare and Mopti. The FLA sought to capture northern cities, while the jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) staged simultaneous attacks nationwide.
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, called it "the largest coordinated jihadist attack on Mali for years."
FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said an agreement was reached with Russian mercenaries for their secure withdrawal from Kidal. He later claimed Kidal is now free, but Mali's military has not confirmed this.
The FLA claims to have recaptured Kidal, which had been under their control for over a decade until Mali's army, with Russian help, took it in late 2023. A field commander said the group had been preparing for months, aiming to control Gao and eventually Timbuktu.
State broadcaster ORTM reported 16 people injured and "limited damage," adding that several "terrorists" were killed and the situation is "completely under control." However, fighting continued in Kidal and other areas.
Mali's military warned that the violence would "not go unanswered" and announced nationwide alerts, increased patrols, and reinforced checkpoints. Curfews have been imposed, including in Bamako from 21:00 to 06:00 local time, expected to end Monday.
UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attacks, expressing solidarity with the Malian people. West African bloc Ecowas also condemned the violence. Mali, along with Niger and Burkina Faso, left Ecowas after military coups brought their armies to power.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, said he is following the situation with "deep concern."
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso's military ruler and president of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), described the attacks as "barbaric and inhumane" and backed by "enemies of the Sahel liberation struggle." He added they could not "shake the will of the valiant people of Sahel."
The FLA has long fought for a Tuareg homeland in northern Mali. Mali is ruled by a military junta led by General Assimi Goïta, who took power in a 2020 coup promising to restore security. UN peacekeepers and French forces left after the junta took over, and the government hired Russian mercenaries to fight the insurgency, which continues to control large parts of the north and east.