Mali junta leader appoints himself defence minister after predecessor killed
Mali's military leader, Gen. Assimi Goïta, has assumed the role of defense minister following the death of the previous officeholder in a series of unexpected attacks.
The West African country remains in a security crisis more than a week after an alliance of jihadists and separatist rebels launched their nationwide raids, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
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During the offensive, Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an apparent suicide truck bombing on his residence near the capital, Bamako.
A decree read on state television on Monday said Goïta would replace Camara as defence minister. He will be assisted by army chief of staff Gen Oumar Diarra, who has been appointed minister delegate.
On 25 April, residents in cities and towns across Mali woke to gunfire and explosion, as an alliance of two groups - the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM - launched coordinated attacks.
The scale of the offensive, which led to the withdrawal of Malian and allied Russian forces from the northern city of Kidal, has fuelled doubts about the strength of Goïta's military government, which came to power in a coup in August 2020.
Over the weekend, the Malian authorities said they had arrested a group of soldiers allegedly linked to the offensive.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
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