Ghana mourns with Mali after terrorist attack kills Defense minister, other top military officers

• Ghana has expressed solidarity with Mali following deadly terrorist attacks that killed top military officials, including the Defence Minister.

• The attacks, which hit Bamako and other key cities, mark one of the most serious assaults on Mali in over a decade.

• Ghana has urged its citizens in Mali to stay cautious and suspend non-essential movement as security concerns escalate.

The Government of Ghana has extended its condolences to citizens of Mali following terrorist attacks that killed the country’s Defence Minister, other military officers and civilians.

The attack which occurred on Saturday, 25th April, 2026 on several military positions in Mali including the capital Bamako, which has resulted in the demise of the Minister of Defence, General Sadio Camara.

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In a statement dated April 27 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana expressed concern over escalating security situation in the Sahel region and in particular the most recent coordinated terrorist attacks.

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The West African country condemned the attacks stating that, “violent extremism must have no place in our world, and we must step up collective efforts to end this horror.”

Meanwhile, the government of Ghana has advised Ghanaians living in the jurisdiction to exercise caution and limit non-essential movements. We urge you all to maintain regular contact with the Embassy of Ghana in Bamako.

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It further directed Ghanaian traders who ply the route to temporarily suspend movements until further notice:

“As the Government of Mali takes necessary actions to control the situation, Ghanaian traders and drivers who ply the route for trading activities are advised to suspend movements until further notice.”

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“The Government of Ghana is working in close collaboration with relevant Malian authorities and would provide updates to facilitate the resumption of trading activities in due course.”

The Government of Ghana pledged its solidarity with the Government of Mali and assured Ghanaian nationals that their security, safety and well-being remain paramount.

Mali has been locked in a cycle of conflict since 2012, when Tuareg separatists and jihadist groups seized control of the country’s north, prompting a military coup and a French military intervention.

The instability has since deepened, with two more coups leading to the rise of a military junta now headed by Assimi Goïta.

The junta has since expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenaries, known as the Africa Corps, for security support.

Two main armed factions continue to threaten the government: Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, an al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group, and the Front de Libération de l’Azawad, a Tuareg rebel coalition seeking an independent state in northern Mali.

On April 25, 2026, the two groups launched an unprecedented joint offensive, simultaneously striking the capital, Bamako, as well as the cities of Kidal, Gao, Sévaré, and Mopti.

Mali’s Defence Minister, Sadio Camara, was killed when a suicide car bomber struck his home, while rebels reportedly seized Kidal, a city the junta had only retaken from separatists in 2023.

The attack is being described as the most serious assault on the Malian state in over a decade.