Mali's Junta Leader Assistsim Goïta Attends State Funeral for Defense Minister Sadio Camara

Assimi Goita, head of Mali's ruling junta, attended the state funeral of Defense Minister Sadio Camara in Bamako on April 30, 2026. A Malian flag was draped over Camara's coffin at the ceremony. General Assimi Goïta stood at attention in front of the coffin, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, according to images from the event.

Goïta spoke before a gathering of high-ranking officers under heavy security in Bamako on April 30, 2026. He paid solemn tribute to Camara, one of his key allies. Le Monde reported that Goïta and Camara had seized power together in a 2020 coup in Mali.

Camara was killed in a car bomb attack at his residence in Kati on April 25, 2026. Kati, a garrison town located about 20 kilometers north of Bamako, served as Camara's stronghold. The attack occurred during a large-scale joint offensive by jihadists from Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg-dominated pro-independence forces from the Azawad Popular Liberation Front (APLF) in several regions of Mali.

Le Monde described Camara as a key figure in Mali's military government and the architect of its alliance with Russia. Camara had returned from a training course in Moscow prior to the 2020 coup in Bamako. In 2021, Camara met several times with Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, to negotiate bringing Russian mercenaries to Mali.