December 2019 Arbinda attack

Last updated
December 2019 Arbinda attack
Part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
Date24 December 2019
Location
Arbinda, Soum Province, Burkina Faso
14°13′45″N0°51′48″W / 14.22917°N 0.86333°W / 14.22917; -0.86333
Result Burkinese victory
Belligerents
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso Islamic State flag.svg Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
Strength
Unknown 200 – 300
Casualties and losses
7 killed
17 wounded		 30–80 killed
35 civilians killed, 6 wounded

On December 24, 2019, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the Burkinabe government military base in Arbinda, Sahel Region, Burkina Faso along with the town of Arbinda itself. The attack was halted due to French and Burkinabe air intervention, although 35 civilians were killed in the jihadists' massacre. The Arbinda attack was the deadliest incident in the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso in several years.

Contents

Background

The town of Arbinda in northern Burkina Faso was the site of various violent attacks between Mossi militias called Koglweogos, backed by the Burkinabe government, and Fulani civilians alleged to be sympathetic or involved with jihadist groups active in the area. [1] Gendarmes in Arbinda were responsible for the killing of 116 men, most of whom were Fulani, between mid-2018 and February 2019. [2] Between March 31 and April 2, 2019, inter-ethnic clashes between Mossi militias, Fulani militias, and Kurumba militias left 62 people dead in Arbinda. The Burkinabe government claimed that the clashes involved "terrorists." [3] [4] On June 9, nineteen more civilians were killed in Arbinda. [5] [6]

In October, jihadists attacked Dolmane near Arbinda, killing twenty gold miners. [7] A second attack on Arbinda on November 20 was repelled by Burkinabe forces, killing at least eighteen jihadists and only one gendarme. [8]

Attack

Fighting in Arbinda began at 6am on December 24, 2019. Burkinabe officials stated that a "significant number of terrorists" carried out the attack, with the jihadists simultaneously attacking the Burkinabe military base and the town of Arbinda itself. [6] AFP reported that around 200 jihadists participated in the attack, although a Burkinabe official told Le Monde that 300 men participated. Many of the attackers were Fulani. [9] [6]

The attack began with a suicide bomber driving a VBIED into the military base. Clashes between the jihadists and soldiers lasted for two to three hours and was unusually intense. [9] [8] The battle was interrupted by a Burkinabe A-29 Super Tucano and two French Mirage 2000s launching airstrikes, repelling the attack. [10] However, the jihadists had massacred dozens of civilians, mostly women and internally displaced refugees. [11] [12] [13] The rationale for the killings was not immediately known, although it could've been a reprisal for the killings of Fulani months prior. [9]

Aftermath

Perpetrator

The attack was not immediately claimed, and Ansarul Islam and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara were the main suspects. The latter claimed responsibility on December 27, 2019. [14] [15]

Casualties

On December 24, the Burkinabe government assessed that seven Burkinabe fighters were killed; four soldiers and three gendarmes, and twenty other Burkinabe men wounded. [11] [16] The number of wounded was later reduced to 17. [17] Burkinabe officials also announced that 35 civilians had been killed by the jihadists, including 31 women. Six other civilians had been wounded. [16] [11] The Burkinabe government also stated that 80 jihadists had been killed in the attacks and a hundred motorcycles had been captured. [16]

Journalist Wassim Nasr stated that the Burkinabe claim of 80 killed was likely an exaggeration. Matteo Puxton, an expert on the Islamic State, stated that photos only showed the bodies of thirty to forty jihadists. Both Puxton and Nasr stated that the 80 number was part of a series of exaggerated, unprovable death tolls from operations against jihadists. [18] [17] [14]

ISGS stated that they had killed seven Burkinabe soldiers, but did not mention the massacred civilians. [14]

Reactions

The Burkinabe government announced two days of national mourning beginning on December 25. President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré condemned the barbarity of the attack, and praised the gendarmes. [19] Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres condemned the attack alongside Pope Francis, European Union president Charles Michel, and Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou. [1]

Related Research Articles

On 16 December 2016, jihadists from Ansarul Islam and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked a Burkinabe army outpost in Nassoumbou, Soum Province, Burkina Faso, killing twelve soldiers. The attack was the first claimed by Ansarul Islam, Burkina Faso's first homegrown jihadist movement that formed a month prior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso</span> Ongoing insurgency in Burkina Faso (2015–present)

An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of over 2 million people and the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians and combatants.

On June 11, 2022, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the town of Seytenga, Séno Province, Burkina Faso, killing over a hundred civilians in a massacre. The massacre occurred after Burkinabe forces evacuated the city following ISGS' takeover of the Burkinabe base in the town on June 9.

In early July 2022, two separate massacres occurred in Bourasso, Kossi Province and Namissiguima Department, Yatenga Province in Burkina Faso. The massacre in Bourasso killed 22 people, and the one in Namissiguima killed 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yirgou massacre</span> 2019 terrorist attack in Burkina Faso

On the night between December 31, 2018, and January 1, 2019, alleged Ansarul Islam jihadists attacked the village of Yirgou, in Barsalogho Department, Burkina Faso. While initial reports claimed the attack killed six people, including the village chief and his son, later reports and investigations showed up to 210 people were killed.

The battle of Boulikessi took place between September 30 and October 1, 2019. Jihadists from JNIM and Ansarul Islam attacked Malian bases in Boulikessi and Mondoro, killing between 40 and 85 Malian soldiers, making it the deadliest attack for the Malian army since the Second Battle of Kidal in 2014.

On September 4, 2023, clashes broke out between jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Burkinabe soldiers backed by pro-government VDP militiamen in the village of Koumbri, Yatenga Province, Burkina Faso. The battle left over fifty Burkinabe soldiers and militiamen dead and an unknown number of jihadists killed.

On January 11, 2023, unknown jihadists killed nine civilians at a mosque in Goulgountou, Burkina Faso.

On October 12, 2016, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked Burkinabe troops at Intangom, Tin-Akoff Department, Burkina Faso, killing four soldiers,

On December 27, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked Burkinabe soldiers in Loroni, northern Burkina Faso, killing ten soldiers. The attack was the deadliest incident for Burkinabe forces since the Nassoumbou attack in 2016.

On August 19, 2019, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked Burkinabe forces in Koutougou, Soum Province, Burkina Faso. 24 Burkinabe soldiers were killed in the attack, and Burkinabe authorities were forced to abandon military outposts in several northern Burkinabe towns following the attack. The attack was the deadliest jihadist attack in Burkinabe history up to that point.

On August 4, 2021, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked several towns and Burkinabe bases in Markoye Department, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. Several rural villages were raided and civilians were killed, and the jihadist raids on Burkinabe bases in Tokabangou sparked battles that killed dozens of Burkinabe soldiers and ISGS fighters. The attacks were the deadliest day for the Burkinabe government since the Solhan and Tadaryat massacres in June 2021.

On August 18, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed a convoy of Burkinabe soldiers and civilians near Boukouma, Séno Province, Burkina Faso. The ambush sparked clashes between the jihadists and the soldiers, leaving dozens dead on both sides. At least 65 civilians were killed in the ambush as well.

On November 14, 2021, jihadists from Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked the mining town of Inata, Burkina Faso, the last place in Djibo Department under Burkinabe government control at the time of the attack. The Burkinabe outpost in Inata was overrun and over fifty soldiers were killed. The attack was the deadliest ambush against Burkinabe forces since the start of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso in 2015, and was a primary reason for the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état.

On December 23, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Ansarul Islam attacked Burkinabe forces in Titao, Loroum Province, Burkina Faso, killing 41 soldiers. The attack was one of the deadliest attacks against Burkinabe soldiers in the country's history, and occurred just over a month after an attack on Inata killed over fifty soldiers. News of the attack sparked protests across Burkina Faso.

Between January 16 and 23, 2022, French and Burkinabe forces conducted a counter-jihadist operation in and around the cities of Gorom-Gorom and Djibo, both in northern Burkina Faso. The operation was the last major one conducted between French forces and Burkinabe ones before the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état, and several dozen jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Ansarul Islam were killed or injured.

On May 21, 2022, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked the city of Bourzanga, Burkina Faso, but the attack was repelled by Burkinabe and French forces.

The Tin-Ediar attack or Déou attack occurred on February 17, 2023 when Burkinabe soldiers were ambushed by the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) near the village of Tin-Ediar while travelling between Déou and Oursi, Burkina Faso. Over 70 Burkinabe soldiers were killed in the ambush, and Burkinabe authorities stated 160 ISGS fighters were killed.

On February 20, 2023, jihadists from the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) ambushed Burkinabe soldiers in Tin-Akoff, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. Between 15 and 100 Burkinabe soldiers were killed. The attack came just three days after the Tin-Ediar attack, where over seventy Burkinabe soldiers were killed in an ISGS attack.

On June 11, 2024, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) attacked the town of Mansila and it's military base, killing over a hundred Burkinabe soldiers. The attack weakened public perception of the Burkinabe junta and sparked tensions between the junta and disgruntled military officers.

References

  1. 1 2 "Attaque jihadiste au Burkina: le pays en deuil, messages de solidarité". Le Point (in French). 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  2. ↑ "Burkina Faso : Des atrocités commises par les islamistes armés et par les forces de sécurité | Human Rights Watch" (in French). 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  3. ↑ "Burkina Faso: le gouvernement annonce 62 morts dans les affrontements à Arbinda". RFI (in French). 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  4. ↑ Macé, Célian. "Au Burkina Faso, l'horreur de la guerre de proximité". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  5. ↑ "Burkina Faso : au moins 19 morts dans une attaque dans le Nord - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  6. 1 2 3 "Burkina Faso: les gendarmes repoussent une attaque jihadiste à Arbinda". RFI (in French). 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  7. ↑ "Burkina Faso: une vingtaine de morts dans l'attaque d'un site d'orpaillage dans le Nord". parismatch.com (in French). 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  8. 1 2 "Burkina Faso: les gendarmes repoussent une attaque jihadiste à Arbinda". RFI (in French). 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  9. 1 2 3 "Le Burkina Faso confronté à la terreur djihadiste" (in French). 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  10. ↑ Lagneau, Laurent (2020-01-09). "Barkhane : Deux Mirage 2000D ont appuyé la force aérienne burkinabè lors de l'attaque d'Arbinda". Zone Militaire (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  11. 1 2 3 "Burkina Faso: double attaque meurtrière à Arbinda, au moins 35 civils tués". RFI (in French). 2019-12-24. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  12. ↑ "Burkina Faso : Flambée d'atrocités commises par des islamistes armés | Human Rights Watch" (in French). 2020-01-06. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  13. ↑ Burkina Faso: Many women killed in suspected jihadist attack
  14. 1 2 3 FRANCE 24 (2019-12-27). Revendication de l'EI sur l'attaque au Burkina Faso : l'éclairage de Wassim Nasr . Retrieved 2024-09-16– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "Burkina : l'EI revendique l'attaque de la base militaire d'Arbinda". L'Orient Le-Jour. December 27, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 "Burkina Faso : plusieurs dizaines de civils tués dans une attaque dans le nord". France 24 (in French). 2019-12-24. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  17. 1 2 Puxton, Matteo (2019-12-30). "Matteo Puxton : « La montée en puissance de l'Etat Islamique au Grand Sahara est particulièrement visible depuis le début de l'année »". Le Monde arabe (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  18. ↑ "Attaque au Burkina: 7 soldats, 35 civils, et 80 «terroristes» tués". Le Figaro (in French). 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  19. ↑ "Le Burkina Faso en deuil à Noël après les pires attaques djihadistes depuis cinq ans" (in French). 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
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