Mali’s defence minister reported dead in major weekend assault

BAMAKO: Mali Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack by al Qaeda-linked group JNIM on his residence at the Kati military base outside Bamako on Saturday, France’s RFI radio reported on Sunday.

Attacks continued on Sunday, a day after an al Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels carried out one of the largest coordinated attacks in the country in recent years, as gunfire rang out in a garrison town near Mali’s capital, a Reuters witness said.

The United Nations called for an international response to violence and terrorism in the West Africa Sahel region following Saturday’s large-scale assaults.