WHY Mali’s junta leader is tightening control after deadly attack

Mali’s military leader Gen Assimi Goïta has moved to tighten his grip on power by appointing himself defence minister following the killing of his predecessor during a wave of coordinated attacks, according to a report by BBC News.

The decision comes as Mali faces one of its most serious security challenges in recent years, after armed groups launched a nationwide offensive that included assaults near the capital, Bamako. Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in what authorities described as a suicide truck bombing targeting his residence, marking a major blow to the junta’s leadership structure.

The attacks, which began on 25 April, were carried out by an alliance of the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), groups that have long destabilised the Sahel region.

Similar insurgent activity has been documented across Mali and neighbouring states in recent years, according to regional security reporting by media outlets.

In response, Goïta’s administration has stepped up military coordination with fellow junta-led governments in Niger and Burkina Faso.

The three countries, now aligned under the Alliance of Sahel States, have conducted joint air strikes targeting insurgent positions, reflecting a broader shift away from Western military partnerships toward regional and Russian-backed security strategies.

Goïta’s decision to simultaneously lead the presidency and oversee defence is widely seen as an effort to centralise authority at a moment of heightened instability. The move follows reports that some serving and former military personnel may have been involved in planning or supporting the attacks, raising concerns about internal security vulnerabilities.

Despite ongoing operations, large areas of Mali and the wider Sahel remain outside government control, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing military-led governments in the region.