BAMAKO, May 4 (Reuters) – The leader of Mali’s military government, Assimi Goita, has taken over as defence minister after the military officer who previously filled the role was killed in coordinated attacks on April 25 by al Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists, state television reported on Monday.
Mali’s army chief of staff, General Oumar Diarra, will serve as minister delegate for defence, said the report, which described the move as a “strategic decision coming in a security context that remains sensitive.”
The simultaneous attacks beginning on the morning of April 25 showed how fighters from different groups with different goals were able to strike at the heart of the West African country’s military government, which took power after coups in 2020 and 2021.
Sadio Camara, the former defence minister who was instrumental in forging stronger ties with Russia, was killed when a car laden with explosives driven by a suicide attacker drove into his residence, the government has previously said.
The attacks set off fighting across Mali’s vast desert north, raising the prospect of significant gains by armed groups that have shown an increasing willingness to strike neighbouring countries and, analysts say, could eventually set their sights further afield.
Malian authorities are investigating soldiers suspected of involvement in the attacks, a judicial official said on Friday.
(Reporting by Mali newsroom, Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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