Thousands pay tribute to Mali's slain defence minister under tight security

Thousands of people paid tribute to Mali’s slain defence minister, Sadio Camara, in a ceremony held under tight security in the capital, Bamako, on Thursday.

Camara was killed as a result of a car bomb blast at his home in Kati on Saturday, which also killed his wife and two granddaughters.

The attack was part of two-days of coordinated strikes by jihadist militants and their Tuareg separatist allies on military positions across the country.

Dressed in combat fatigues, junta leader Assimi Goita paid tribute to Camara by bowing before his coffin.

Camara’s relatives and friends also attended the ceremony, alongside officials from Mali and abroad, including the defence ministers of neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Numerous armed soldiers were present, and checkpoints and barricades blocked roads leading to the parade ground, while security forces strictly controlled access.

Camara was one of the junta's top officials and was considered the architect of Mali's rapprochement with Russia in recent years.

The government declared two days of national mourning following his death. The minister's funeral service was due to take place later on Thursday

The weekend attacks have generated a security crisis in the vast Sahel country and resulted, according to an official toll, in the deaths of at least 23 civilians and soldiers.