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Sadio Camara

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Army corps general
Sadio Camara
Camara in 2022
Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs
In office
11 June 2021 – 25 April 2026
PresidentAssimi Goïta
Prime Minister
Preceded bySouleymane Doucouré
Succeeded byAssimi Goïta[1]
In office
5 October 2020 – 24 May 2021
PresidentBah Ndaw
Prime MinisterMoctar Ouane (interim)
Preceded byTiéna Coulibaly
Succeeded bySouleymane Doucouré
Personal details
Born(1979-03-22)22 March 1979[2]
Kati, Koulikoro Region, Mali
Died25 April 2026(2026-04-25) (aged 47)
Kati, Koulikoro Region, Mali
Cause of deathAssassination[3]
CitizenshipMali
France
Joint Military School
Military service
Allegiance Mali
Branch
RankArmy corps general
Conflict

General Sadio Camara (22 March 1979 – 25 April 2026) was a Malian military officer who served as the minister of defence of Mali from 2021 until his assassination in 2026. He took an active part in the 2020 Malian coup d'état along with Colonel Assimi Goïta that ousted the government of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, and began serving as the country's minister of defence at that time.[4][5][6]

Camara served as minister of defence between October 2020 and May 2021 when he was replaced. This prompted a new coup and he was reinstated on 11 June 2021.

Early life

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Sadio Camara was born on 22 March 1979 in Kati, Koulikoro Region, Mali.[2] He was a graduate of the Joint Military School,[7] and began his career in the Malian National Guard.[8]

Career

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At the time of the 2020 coup, Camara was serving as head of the Kati Military School,[9] and was receiving military training in Russia[10] since 2019.[8] Camara was on leave from his training in Russia[8] when he took part in the August 2020 coup and was named Minister of Defense in October 2020 under the interim government of Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.[11] He served in that position until late May 2021 when he was excluded from the newly formed government by Bah Ndaw, the interim leader after the 2020 coup.[11]

Camara's ousting allegedly prompted Colonel Assimi Goïta to launch a "coup within a coup" in May 2021 when Goïta took over power and ordered the arrest of Ndaw and his cabinet during the 2021 Malian coup d'état. This prompted the United Nations and many governments to condemn the coup and ask for the release of the detained leaders.[11][12][13]

On 11 June 2021, Col. Goïta—who later became a général d'armée—appointed Camara again as Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs,[11][5] and he was eventually promoted to the rank of général de corps d'armée.[14] Camara was a key architect of the "pro-sovereigntist" policy of the military junta, which sought to replace France with Russia as Mali's international partner, and helped arrange the deployment of Russia's Wagner Group to Mali.[8] He regularly announced the transfers of military equipment to Mali from Russia, and visited his Russian counterpart, Andrey Belousov, in June 2025.[15] The United States imposed sanctions on Camara in July 2023 for his links to the Wagner Group.[16][2] His designation revealed that he also held French citizenship.[2] The sanctions were lifted in February 2026.[17]

Death

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Main article: Killing of Sadio Camara

Camara was assassinated on 25 April 2026 in the wake of the nationwide militant attacks led by the Azawad Liberation Front and the JNIM. A vehicle-borne explosive detonated outside his residence in Kati, a heavily fortified garrison town about 15 kilometres northwest of Bamako, the capital, where President Assimi Goïta and other junta leaders also reside.[18][19] The government confirmed his death the next day and announced that Mali would observe two days of mourning in his honor.[20] He was given a state funeral on 30 April.[21] On 4 May, president Goïta appointed himself defence minister.[22]

References

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  1. ^ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r8jr7x8mlo
  2. ^ a b c d "Russia-related Designations". Office of Foreign Assets Control. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  3. ^ Makuochi Okafor, Hafsa Khalil (26 April 2026). "Mali defence minister killed in attacks, reports say". BBC.
  4. ^ Diallo, Aïssatou (7 September 2020). "Mali: Who's who in the Bamako coup". The Africa Report. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Mali coup chief names new cabinet with army officers in key posts". Al Jazeera. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Mali : Le Colonel Assimi Goïta et plusieurs hauts responsables militaires élevés au grade de Général de Corps d'Armée". Bamada (in French). 16 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Assimi Goita: who is Mali's new junta supremo?". APA News. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d Karr, Liam (28 April 2026). "Fall of Kidal—What JNIM's Latest Offensive Means for Mali's Future: Africa File Special Edition". Critical Threats. Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  9. ^ "Mali – Key Junta Figures". Read Cube. August 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  10. ^ Muvunyi, Fred (26 August 2020). "Was Russia behind the coup in Mali?". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d "Mali transitional government restores ousted Camara as defence minister". Reuters. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  12. ^ "UN mission in Mali calls for immediate release of detained president and PM". France24. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  13. ^ "UN calls for immediate release of Mali President Bah Ndaw". BBC. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Mali : le ministre de la Défense Sadio Kamara tué dans une attaque terroriste (gouvernement)". Anadolu Agency. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  15. ^ Gabel, Barbara (28 April 2026). "Après la mort du général Sadio Camara, l'influence russe au Mali remise en cause ?". France24 (in French). Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  16. ^ "US imposes sanctions on three Malians linked to Wagner group -Treasury Dept website". Reuters. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  17. ^ "US lifts sanctions on Malian officials linked to Russian Wagner Group". The Kyiv Independent. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  18. ^ Are, Jesupemi (26 April 2026). "Mali's defence minister killed as coordinated attacks hit military targets". TheCable. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  19. ^ "Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara killed during coordinated attacks". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  20. ^ "Mali defence minister killed amid flurry of insurgent attacks". The Guardian. Reuters. 26 April 2026. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  21. ^ "Mali holds funeral for key junta figure killed in militant assaults". AP News. 1 May 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  22. ^ Corey-Boulet, Robbie (4 May 2026). "Mali leader Goita assumes role of defence minister after attacks, state media says". Reuters. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
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