Camara was born in Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine to Malian parents. He made his professional debut at only 17, appearing in two Ligue 2 seasons with Saint-Étienne. In the summer of 1998 he was purchased by Inter Milan in Italy, but only managed to appear in two Coppa Italia matches with the "Nerazzurri", also being loaned twice during his two-year spell: after a five-month stint with Empoli (suffering relegation from Serie A), he spent one season back in his country with Bastia, helping the Corsicans to a 10th-place finish in Ligue 1.