Mali defence minister killed as country hit by wave of rebel attacks

The attack led to the collapse of Camara's residence and the destruction of a nearby mosque, where a number of worshippers were also killed.Fighting on Saturday had been reported in the town, a major military base outside the capital, in Gao and Kidal in the north, and the central cities of Sevare and Mopti. Reports suggest the assault by the separatists - who seek a breakaway ethnic Tuareg state in the north - was primarily focused on northern cities, while the jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) had staged simultaneous attacks on multiple locations across the country.Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali, told the BBC the incident appeared to be the "largest co-ordinated jihadist attack on Mali for years".FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said Kidal had "not fallen completely" during those attacks, at the time, telling the BBC they remained in the city because "elements of the Malian army and Russian mercenaries" were still present.On Sunday, clashes between the FLA and the Malian government resumed in Kidal.Shortly after these reports, Ramadane said: "An agreement was reached between the Azawad forces and the Russian elements of the Africa Corps with a view to ensuring their secure withdrawal from the fighting."In later updates, he said they were "permanently withdrawing from Kidal" and "Kidal is now free". There has been no confirmation of these claims from Mali's military.Azawad Liberation Front via APFighting between the FLA, Malian army and Russian mercenaries continued on SundayThe group also claims to have taken control of the city, which served as an unofficial headquarters of the separatist movement for more than a decade before it was captured by Mali's army with the help of Russian mercenaries in late 2023.An FLA field commander involved in the assault on Kidal told the BBC on Saturday the group had been preparing for the offensive "for months", adding: "Our main goal now is to control Gao and then Timbuktu will be easy to fall."State broadcaster ORTM reported that 16 people, including civilians and soldiers, were injured in the attacks, which it said caused "limited damage".It also said several "terrorists" had been killed, adding that the situation is "completely under control" in all affected areas.However, its military confirmed fighting was continuing in Kidal, as well as Kati and other parts of the country.In a statement on Sunday, it said the violence would "not go unanswered".It added that a nationwide alert had been issued, with large-scale patrols stepped up and checkpoints reinforced to tighten security.Curfews have been imposed in some areas. In Bamako, there is a curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 local time (GMT), expected to end on Monday.Following Saturday's widespread orchestrated attacks, UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the "acts of violence" as he expressed his "solidarity with the Malian people". West Africa's regional bloc, Ecowas, similarly condemned the attacks.Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso left Ecowas after military coups brought their armies to power.Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, said he was following the situation with "deep concern". Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso's military ruler who seized power in a coup three years ago, condemned the attacks in Mali.Traoré is the president of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, all countries led by military governments that came to power following coups in recent years. In a statement released on Sunday night, Traoré described the attacks as "barbaric and inhumane" and said they were "backed by the enemies of the Sahel liberation struggle".