Mali on Thursday held a national funeral for Defence Minister Gen. Sadio Camara, one of the ruling junta’s most influential figures, after he was killed in a car bomb attack at his home in Kati, a military stronghold outside Bamako. Reuters reported that Camara died in the weekend attack during a sweeping insurgent offensive, while relatives said his wife and two granddaughters were also killed.
Dressed in combat fatigues, junta leader Assimi Goita bowed before Camara’s coffin during the ceremony, which was attended by family members, senior Malian officials and visiting dignitaries, including the defence ministers of Niger and Burkina Faso. Security was exceptionally tight, with armed soldiers deployed in large numbers and roads leading to the parade ground blocked by checkpoints and barricades.
Camara was widely regarded as a central pillar of Mali’s military leadership and a key architect of the country’s shift toward Russia after its break with France and other Western partners. His death is a major blow to the junta at a time when it is facing one of the most serious security crises of its rule. The government declared two days of national mourning in his honour.
The funeral followed two days of coordinated assaults by jihadist militants and their Tuareg separatist allies on military positions across Mali. Reuters reported that the attacks killed at least 23 civilians and soldiers according to an official toll, while also exposing the fragility of the junta’s security strategy despite heavy backing from Russian forces.
