Mali leader Assimi Goïta assumes role of defence minister after attacks kill previous minister

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​The leader of Mali's military government, Assimi Goïta, 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.

Issued on: 04/05/2026 - 17:01Modified: 04/05/2026 - 18:16

1 min Reading time Share By: FRANCE 24 Video by: Andrew HILLIAR / Gavin LEE / Guillaume GOUGEON

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12:01

Mali's junta leader, Assimi Goïta, will assume the additional role of defence minister, according to a decree read on state TV on Monday, following the death of the previous minister in large-scale attacks.

Read more'A common enemy, but not a common project': A fragile jihadist-separatist alliance in Mali

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.

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08:08

Read moreJihadists urge united front against Mali junta as Bamako blockade begins

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.

Read moreInsurgent alliance strikes at heart of Mali’s junta, exposing limits of Russian protection

Malian authorities are investigating soldiers suspected of involvement ⁠in the ​attacks, a judicial official said on Friday.

Militants from Al-Qaeda's branch in the Sahel region – the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) – joined forces with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), an ethnic Tuareg separatist movement, in the attacks against the junta and its Russian mercenaries.

A spokesman for the FLA vowed the separatists would conquer the country's north and predicted that the junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, will "fall". 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS) 

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