Mali President Goita Appoints Himself Defense Minister After Predecessor Killed in Attack
Al Jazeera
Mali's military junta leader General Assimi Goita has appointed himself defense minister after his predecessor was killed in a coordinated rebel attack. The offensive by al-Qaeda-linked and Tuareg separatist groups seized the strategic town of Kidal, the largest assault in nearly 15 years.
Mali’s state broadcaster ORTM reported on May 5 that President and military junta leader Assimi Goita has taken on the additional role of Defense Minister, replacing Sadio Camara, who was killed in a large-scale rebel offensive in late April.
According to a presidential decree, Goita will continue as head of state while assuming the new post. Former army chief of staff General Oumar Diarra has been appointed Deputy Defense Minister.
On April 30, a series of coordinated attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM and the Tuareg separatist alliance FLA targeted military junta bases in northern Mali. Among the 23 dead was Defense Minister Sadio Camara, killed in a car bomb attack on his residence. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed civilian and child casualties.
The militants seized the strategic northern town of Kidal, marking the largest assault on the West African country in nearly 15 years. JNIM and FLA now control Kidal and are targeting the cities of Gao, Menaka, and Timbuktu, aiming to establish an autonomous Azawad state.
Mali has been in security crisis since 2012. JNIM controls vast rural areas, especially in the north and center, with cells operating near the capital. The Islamic State group (ISIS) in the Sahel also holds territory around Menaka. The separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) fights for independence and regularly coordinates with JNIM in operations against government forces.
Goita’s junta seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, vowing to restore security but remains deadlocked. It severed ties with France, expelled French forces and the UN peacekeeping mission. In July 2025, the junta granted Goita a five-year presidential term, renewable an unlimited number of times without elections.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Wagner group, which supported Mali’s military since 2021, said it completed its mission in June 2025 and transformed into the Africa Corps under Russia’s Defense Ministry. After the April attacks, rebels declared a blockade of the capital Bamako in retaliation for public support of the army, though AFP reported the blockade was only partially effective.
