Ruptly
"Residents in Kati and Bamako shared grief and shock after Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in a suicide car bombing as part of a series of attacks by militants over the weekend. Footage shows flags flying at half-mast across the city. People can be seen sitting in their yards, mourning the death of the minister. Kati, a symbolic city of Mali’s military power, remains in shock after the attack there, which has since plunged the country into mourning. "This tells you that all of Kati is in mourning. We will observe two days of mourning. That is why we have not gone out," said Sadibou Hairara, who wrote a poem for the slain general. In several neighbourhoods, residents recounted scenes of panic and violence. "All of Kati will come out to pay tribute to Sadio," Haidara Salimata, another resident, said. Another resident, Assetou Keita, echoed the sentiment: "Let them know that it is not over, because we, the people of Kati, are not afraid." Abdoul Aziz Haidara, a resident of Bamako, said he first learned about the death on social media before it was confirmed by officials. "It is a huge loss for all of Mali," he said. "He is the one who modernised our army. He is the one who reviewed our military strategy and equipped it." As a sign of mourning, flags are flying at half-mast, while a 48-hour national mourning period has been declared. In several cities across Mali, a slowdown in socio-economic activities has been observed. On Sunday night, government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly confirmed that Defence Minister Sadio Camara had been killed when "a vehicle laden with explosives and driven by a suicide attacker targeted the minister's residence." Malian government spokesperson General Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said that the situation was now 'fully under control' in the affected areas, with reinforced security deployments and patrols continuing. The hostilities left 16 wounded, he added. The national authorities condemned what they called 'cowardly terrorist acts' and vowed to pursue those responsible, urging citizens to remain vigilant and rely on official sources for information. According to reports, the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin claimed responsibility for the attacks, including strikes on Bamako's international airport and other locations, reportedly carried out alongside the Azawad Liberation Front. Mali has faced years of instability driven by jihadist insurgencies and separatist movements, with violence regularly targeting both military positions and civilian areas despite ongoing security operations."
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