During attacks carried out by jihadist groups on Saturday, April 25, Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed.

His residence in Kati, a heavily fortified town located 15 kilometers northwest of the capital Bamako, was targeted in a suicide truck bombing that also claimed the lives of Camara's second wife and two grandchildren, according to media reports. General Assimi Goïta, head of the junta that has ruled the country since coups in 2020 and 2021, was reportedly evacuated from his residence in Kati after an attack targeting him.

Although no official statement has been issued, Goita is "alive and well in a secure location", according to Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque, who has reported extensively from Mali. Haque called Camara "one of the most influential figures within the ruling military leadership" and "a possible future leader of Mali."

Saturday's apparently coordinated offensive included strikes on military and urban targets from the north of the country to Bamako in one of the most significant escalations in recent months. According to Yakubu Mohammed, reporting for Premium Times, the rebel groups taking part in the offensive included al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-dominated rebel alliance

Clashes resumed Sunday in Kidal in northern Mali between the Tuareg-led FLA, supported by fighters from the JNIM, and the Malian army, backed by Russian elements. Representatives of the FLA said they had reached an agreement allowing the withdrawal of Russian Africa Corps soldiers from the city which FLA claims to now fully control.

A local resident told AFP that he observed a military convoy departing, although he could not specify the circumstances. He also stated that fighters from armed groups are now occupying the streets of Kidal.