2019 Aguelhok attack

Last updated
2019 Aguelhok attack
Part of Mali War
DateJanuary 20, 2019
Location
MINUSMA camp, Aguelhok, Mali
Result MINUSMA victory
Belligerents

Flag of the United Nations.svg MINUSMA

Flag of France.svg France 		AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Strength
Flag of Chad.svg~200 men [1]
Flag of Bangladesh.svg 20-40 men [1]
Flag of France.svg Unknown		 ~150
Casualties and losses
Flag of Chad.svg 11 killed, 26 injured
Flag of Bangladesh.svg None
Flag of France.svg None		 3 killed
1 injured

The 2019 Aguelhok attack was an attack by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin against the MINUSMA base in Aguelhok, Mali on January 20, 2019. At the time of the attack, the base was defended by Chadian and Bengali peacekeepers, and was later aided by French forces part of Operation Barkhane.

Contents

Prelude

In 2012, Tuareg militants rebelled against the Malian government due to a lack of autonomy. The rebellion grew quickly, with the MNLA capturing key northern Malian towns like Kidal, Gao, and Aguelhok. However, jihadist rebels from groups like Al-Mourabitoun and Ansar Dine also rebelled against the Malian government, sparking French forces to launch Operation Barkhane to kick all rebels out, and MINUSMA to launch bases in northern and eastern Mali. In 2017, all jihadist rebels merged into the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, which grew in power and influence in 2018 and 2019.

The Aguelhok camp in particular was established in 2013, and had been the subject of several jihadist attacks. [2] In an April 2018 attack against the camp, two Chadian soldiers were killed. [3] By late 2018, the MINUSMA camp at Aguelhok was defended by a special forces company and an infantry company from Chad as well as an engineering platoon from Bangladesh. [4] On January 6, 2019, several days before the battle, soldiers from the 6th Chadian contingent of MINUSMA arrived at the base. [5]

Battle

At dawn on January 20, around 150 men with 15 pickups attacked the Aguelhok camp along with one of its security posts. [6] [5] The attackers divided into three groups, and converged on the camp from three separate directions. [7] [8] The first two groups of jihadists were able to storm the checkpoints, and the third checkpoint was able to hold off the jihadists and prepare for reinforcements. [8] A suicide bomber exploded at one of the checkpoints. [8] At the time of the attack, MINUSMA released a statement about "a complex attack" with "numerous armed vehicles." [3] Chadian forces sent reinforcements to the camp, leading three counterattacks. [8] MINUSMA helicopters from Tessalit also aided the reinforcements, along with French troops and drones from Kidal. [3] [2] After twenty-two hours, MINUSMA peacekeepers were able to "neutralize a number of enemies" and force the jihadists to disperse. [3] Canadian peacekeepers later set aircraft from Gao to evacuate the wounded. [9]

JNIM later claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was a response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent trip to Chad. [10] [11]

Aftermath

On the evening on January 20, UN secretary-general António Guterres announced that ten Chadian peacekeepers had been killed in the attack, along with 25 others injured. [2] [3] Another Chadian soldiers succumbed to his injuries on February 15. [12] The UN gave a death toll of 11 peacekeepers killed and 26 injured, including 14 seriously, in the attack. [4] Three jihadists were killed, and another was injured and taken prisoner. [13]

The bodies of the slain Chadian soldiers received a funeral in Bamako, and were repatriated in N'Djamena on January 27. The head of MINUSMA, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, of Chadian nationality, denounced the attack. [2]

The battle of Aguelhok was the deadliest attack on a MINUSMA camp since 2013. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in the Sahel</span> Insurgency throughout the Sahel and West Africa

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The Mondoro attack took place on 4 March 2022, when al-Qaeda-linked jihadists attacked a Malian military base, causing heavy casualties.

On April 2, 2021, insurgents from the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked a contingent of Chadian troops serving in MINUSMA, the UN's peacekeeping branch throughout the Mali War. The Chadian troops effectively repelled the JNIM attack, inflicting heavy casualties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ber (2018)</span> 2018 battle of the Mali War

The battle of Ber took place on October 27, 2018, after Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) militants attacked a MINUSMA base manned by Burkinabe soldiers in Ber, Mali.

The raid on Dioura was an attack on a Malian military base in the town of Dioura, Mali, by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) on March 17, 2019.

On January 27, 2018, militants from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Coalition of the People of Azawad attacked a Malian military base in Soumpi, Mali.

On November 24, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin ambushed Nigerien MINUSMA peacekeepers and Malian soldiers in the village of Indelimane, Mali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Timbuktu attack</span>

On August 14, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked a MINUSMA base in Timbuktu, Mali.

On June 17, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in Bintagoungou, Tombouctou Region, Mali.

On May 29, 2016, Katiba Macina militants ambushed Togolese peacekeepers in MINUSMA near Sévaré, Mali. The attack was the first deadly attack against UN peacekeepers in Mopti Region during the Mali War, and the first major engagement involving Togolese peacekeepers during the war.

On May 18, 2016, militants from Ansar Dine ambushed Chadian forces north of Aguelhok, Mali.

On August 7, 2015, jihadists from Al-Mourabitoun and Katiba Macina attacked the Byblos Hotel in Sévaré, Mali. The attack was one of the largest attacks against civilians in Mopti Region during the Mali War, and led to the deaths of thirteen people, including five civilians.

On July 2, 2015, a MINUSMA convoy was ambushed by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb en route from Goundam to Timbuktu.

On October 3, 2014, nine Nigerien peacekeepers were killed in an ambush by al-Mourabitoun in Indelimane, Mali.

On 11 June 2014, a suicide bomber attacked the MINUSMA base in Aguelhok, Mali, killing several Chadian peacekeepers.

On October 23, 2013, Katiba Salahadin militants attacked Chadian peacekeepers in the city of Tessalit, sparking a battle between the militants and Chadian and French forces. The attack was the first attack by jihadists targeting MINUSMA peacekeepers during the Mali War.

Soldiers of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces were deployed in United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) between 2013 and 2023. During the mission, Burkinabe forces were the largest contributor to the mission, and often belonged to the best elements of the Burkinabe army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ber (2023)</span>

The battle of Ber took place between August 11 and 12, 2023, between the Malian Armed Forces and the Wagner Group against fighters of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). The battle was the first major confrontation between the CMA and Malian forces since the signing of the Algiers Accords, and led to the breakdown of the accords by late 2023.

The Kidal offensive was an offensive by the Malian government and Wagner Group mercenaries against the rebel coalition Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD) with the aim of capturing the rebel-held region of Kidal. The offensive was part of a renewed conflict between the Malian junta that took power in 2021 and former Tuareg rebel groups that had signed the Algiers Agreement in 2015, creating a ceasefire and de facto rebel control over the region. The offensive was also an attempt by Malian forces to seize control over MINUSMA camps in Kidal Region after the Malian junta had ordered the mission to leave the country by the end of 2023.

The battle of Kidal took place between November 10 and 14, 2023, during the Kidal offensive in renewed conflict between the CSP-PSD and the Malian Armed Forces and allied Wagner Group mercenaries during the Mali War. The city of Kidal had been under rebel control since 2014, and the 2015 Algiers Agreement enacted a ceasefire and Kidal Region subsequently was de facto controlled by rebel groups. When Malian and Wagner forces captured the city on November 14, it marked the first time in nine years that all Malian regional capitals were fully under Malian government control.

References

  1. 1 2
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 DANIEL, SERGE (2019-01-20). "Mali: dix Casques bleus tués dans la pire attaque contre l'ONU". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Daniel, Serge (January 20, 2019). "Quatre à six Casques bleus tchadiens tués par des "terroristes" dans le nord du Mali". L'Orient-Le Jour. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Rapport du Secrétaire général sur la situation au Mali" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. December 28, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Samaké, Alassane (January 28, 2019). "Mali : Mémorial de la Base de la MINUSMA à Sénou : LE CHEF DE L'ÉTAT S'INCLINE DEVANT LES DÉPOUILLES DES 10 SOLDATS TCHADIENS TOMBÉS À AGUELHOC". Maliactu. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Mali: violente attaque contre le contingent tchadien de la Minusma". RFI (in French). 2019-01-20. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  7. ↑ "Mali: l'attaque meurtrière contre la Minusma revendiquée". RFI (in French). 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Attaque d'Aguelhok au Mali: les précisions du général Cottereau". RFI (in French). 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  9. ↑ BERTHIAUME, LEE (2019-01-22). "Des Canadiens ont évacué des troupes au Mali". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  10. ↑ "Dix casques bleus de l'Onu tués dans une attaque au Mali". Boursorama (in French). 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  11. ↑ says, Telh (2019-01-21). "Attack on UN base in Mali carried out according to Zawahiri's guidelines, JNIM says | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  12. ↑ Ouest-France (2019-02-15). "Mali. Un 11e militaire tchadien tué après un attentat djihadiste dans le nord-est du pays". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  13. ↑ "Aqmi revendique l'attaque au Mali". Le Figaro (in French). 2019-01-20. Retrieved 2023-10-06.

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