JNIM Jihadists and Tuareg Separatists Kill Mali’s Defense Minister in Suicide Attack Near Bamako

Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM, also called Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims) and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA, a Tuareg pro-independence armed movement) launched a joint offensive in Mali on April 25. General Sadio Camara, the defense minister, was killed in a suicide attack that day in Kati, a garrison town on the outskirts of Bamako, the capital.

The two communities have come under suspicion of collaborating with the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and pro-independence activists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).

The Fulani and Tuareg communities are suspected of collaborating with JNIM and FLA. A video was posted in a Russian Telegram group on April 29 showing a charred, dismembered body in broad daylight with civilians encouraging the act. A second video shows a close-up of a corpse on fire surrounded by men.

The horrific videos have circulated widely on messaging apps since the April 25 offensive. The victims of the violence reportedly belonged to the Fulani and Tuareg populations. Le Monde reported that this has raised fears of renewed persecution of these communities, who are suspected of collaborating with jihadists and pro-independence groups, due to the presence of many of their members in armed movements.

Several disappearances have been reported in the area of Kati since April 25. A Fulani rights advocate said he had received several reports of disappearances since April 25 in the area of Kati. A Fulani refugee fled the blockade imposed by jihadists from JNIM at the Mbera refugee camp in Bassikounou, Mauritania on the border with Mali.