Mali Defence Minister killed in an attack near Bamako

Mali ​Defence Minister ​Sadio Camara was killed in an attack ​carried ‌out ⁠by insurgents ‌on Saturday, a government spokesperson ⁠said on Sunday on state television, ​confirming earlier ‌reports by media  and ‌relatives. Camara was killed ​when assailants targeted his house, the spokesperson, Issa ​Ousmane ​Coulibaly, said ​in a statement.The attack was staged on Saturday when jihadist and rebel groups launched coordinated attacks across the African nation including on the junta stronghold at Kati near the capital. Camara and other junta leaders live in Kati. As per media reports, the minister and at least three members of his family were killed by the car bomb left by a group affiliated to al Qaeda. 
Meanwhile, fresh fighting erupted Sunday in the key Malian town of Kidal between Tuareg rebels backed by jihadists and government forces supported by Russian mercenaries, a day after insurgents launched coordinated strikes across the restive Sahel nation. Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) on Sunday announced a deal for a Russian withdrawal from Kidal. "An accord has been reached permitting the (Malian) army and its (Russian) Africa Corps allies to leave the camp 2, where they were holed up since yesterday," a Tuareg official told AFP. The Africa Corps, an organisation under direct control of the Russian defence ministry, largely took over the Africa operations of the Wagner Group following the 2023 death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The group has been helping the Malian junta fight jihadists in the West African nation. 
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned "acts of violence" in Mali. "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several locations across Mali," his spokesman said in a statement. "The Secretary-General calls for coordinated international support to address the evolving threat of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel and to meet urgent humanitarian needs," spokesman Stephane Dujarric added.
Mali has resources including gold and other valuable minerals. Mali's rulers, like their military counterparts in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, have severed ties with former colonial ruler France and several Western countries, moving closer to Russia.