Gorom-Gorom rescue operation

Last updated
Gorom-Gorom rescue operation
Part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso, Operation Barkhane, and the War against the Islamic State
Date9 – 10 May 2019
Location
Near Gorom-Gorom, Sahel Region, Burkina Faso
14°27′N0°14′W / 14.450°N 0.233°W / 14.450; -0.233
Result

French victory

  • 4 hostages rescued
  • 2 French soldiers killed
Belligerents
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France
Supported by:
Flag of the United States (Pantone).svg  United States (intelligence support)
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso (logistical support)		 Islamic State flag.svg Islamic State in the Greater Sahara [1]
Units involved

Logo du Commandement des Operations Speciales (COS).svg Special Operations Command

Unknown
Strength
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg 24 commandos
~ 10 helicopters
2 MQ-9 Reaper drones
1 CASA medical plane
Flag of the United States (Pantone).svg 1 MQ-9 Reaper drone		 6 gunmen
Casualties and losses
2 killed 4 killed [1]
4 hostages freed
Burkina Faso relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Gorom-Gorom
class=notpageimage|
Location of Gorom-Gorom, close to where the operation took place.

On May 9, 2019, French special operations forces conducted an operation in Gorom-Gorom, northern Burkina Faso to rescue two hostages kidnapped by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara in Pendjari National Park, Benin. The operation successfully freed four hostages, including two French nationals, a South Korean, and an American. Two French soldiers were killed in the raid, and four jihadists were killed. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

On May 1, 2019, French tourists Laurent Lassimouillas and Patrick Picque were kidnapped in Pendjari National Park in Benin. The body of their Beninese tour guide Flacre Gbedji was found disfigured and shot near Gbedji's burnt-out car. [4] The killing and kidnapping was the first attack by jihadists in Benin. [3] A South Korean hostage and an American hostage were kidnapped a month prior in Burkina Faso. [5]

The kidnappers then retreated to Burkina Faso with the hostages. [6] According to the French General Staff, the jihadists stayed in Burkina Faso for several days with the intention of handing the hostages to the Katiba Macina in Mali. [3] [7] While the Katiba Macina organized the kidnapping, it was militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara based in eastern Burkina Faso that carried out the kidnapping. [3]

Immediately after the kidnapping, the Direction du renseignement militaire (DRM) began intelligence missions aided by the United States and Burkina Faso. The kidnappers traveled 350 kilometers within a few days towards the Malian border, mostly at night through the bush. [8] American intelligence intercepted the jihadists from their cell phones conversations. [8]

Rescue

The rescue operation began across a wide swath of northern Burkina Faso on May 7. France mobilized forces from Task Force Sabre, from Operation Barkhane, and drones and helicopters to intercept the jihadists. Burkinabe troops provided logistical support on key routes, and American forces provided a MQ-9 drone. [3] [9]

The kidnappers stopped on May 9, allowing French forces to conduct a raid. [3] The Special Operations Command led by Laurent Isnard received the first information about the camp in the early afternoon, and Isnard recommended launching the raid within the next few hours. [10] Isnard and the SOC's plan of action was approved by Emmanuel Macron and François Lecointre that evening. [3]

Fighting began near Gorom-Gorom, Sahel Region when 24 soldiers from Commando Hubert, the 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, and Air Parachute Commando No. 10 raided the camp. [11] [6] The soldiers were first dropped off about ten kilometers from the camp by ten helicopters, and French forces also mobilized a medical evacuation plane. [3] [8] Two French and an American drone provided surveillance. A little before midnight, the commandos began their trek toward the camp. [12] [8] As they approached, they heard the jihadists loading their guns. The French soldiers killed the sentry after he had spotted them, and mounted the assault intending not to hit the hostages. [13] [12] The soldiers entered each encampment simultaneously, and two soldiers were killed in two encampments. [3]

Both French hostages, the South Korean, and the American hostage were recovered. The latter two had been held for 28 days, and French officials stated that the South Korean and American's discovery was a surprise. [12]

Aftermath

Funeral procession for the fallen French operators in Paris on May 14. Invalides - Hommage aux militaires tues en operation 20190514 - 001.jpg
Funeral procession for the fallen French operators in Paris on May 14.

Four jihadists were killed in the raid and two others escaped. [3] Two French petty officers, Cedric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello were killed during the operation, and were given a national tribute on May 14 in Les Invalides. [14] During the ceremony they were both posthumously promoted to chief petty officer and honored with the Legion of Honour. No other French soldiers were injured. [14]

The Beninese, Burkinabe, American, and French governments all congratulated the operation and expressed condolences to the two soldiers. [15] [16] Following the rescue, the two Frenchmen and the South Korean were received by President Emmanuel Macron at Villacoublay airport. The former captives expressed their thanks to the soldiers that died and to the French and Burkinabe authorities for their roles in the rescue. The American hostage's identity was never revealed. [16]

On May 14, 2019, a national tribute was held in Paris in honour of the two soldiers that died during the rescue mission. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Barkhane</span> French military operation

Operation Barkhane was a counterinsurgency operation that started on 1 August 2014 and formally ended on 9 November 2022. It was led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa's Sahel region and consisted of a roughly 3,000-strong French force, which was permanently headquartered in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. The operation was led in co-operation with five countries, all of which are former French colonies that span the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Mali was a part of the operation until August 2022. The countries are collectively referred to as the "G5 Sahel". The operation was named after a crescent-shaped dune type that is common in the Sahara desert.

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">2019 Ménaka mid-air collision</span> Aviation accident

On 25 November 2019, two French military helicopters, part of Operation Barkhane, crashed in northern Mali, killing 13 soldiers. It was the deadliest incident involving the French military since the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadist 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.

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

An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.

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.

The raid on Tin Biden occurred between October 23 and 24, 2017, between French forces of Operation Barkhane and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin in the remote wadi of Tin Biden, Kidal Region, Mali. In the battle, French forces killed eleven Malian prisoners of war held captive by JNIM.

Ibrahim Ag Inawalen, nom de guerreBana, was a Malian soldier and jihadist in Ansar Dine.

Between April 29 and 30, 2017, French forces launched an offensive against jihadists from Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin based in the Foulsaré forest in southern Mali. The operation was dubbed Operation Bayard by the French.

Hamada Ag Hama, also known as Abdelkrim Taleb or Abdelkrim al-Targui was a Malian jihadist and emir of Katiba Al Ansar, a brigade in Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

On January 8, 2011, French and Nigerien commandos attempted to retrieve two French nationals taken hostage by AQIM militants in Niamey in Niger, and who were subsequently brought into the desert near Tabankort in Mali. Both hostages were killed during the botched rescue operation, along with three Nigerien soldiers and four kidnappers. The rescue operation's failure sparked controversy in France as it was reported that one of the hostages was killed by French gunfire.

On November 8, 2016 Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) fighters attacked Nigerien forces in Bani-Bangou, Tillabéri Region, Niger.

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.

Between November 1 and 17, 2019, French and G5 Sahel troops conducted an operation against the jihadist groups of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Ansarul Islam, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara in Boulikessi, Déou, and Boula along the Malian and Burkinabe borders.

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 8, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed Burkinabe forces in Dounkoun, Toeni Department, Burkina Faso, killing twelve soldiers.

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.

The siege of Madjoari began in February 2021 and lasted until May 25, 2022, as part of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso. Jihadists from Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin began attacking the city, controlled by Burkinabe forces and the pro-government Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), and ambushed Burkinabe troops and cut off supply lines. Civilians in Madjoari starved, and almost all of them fled to elsewhere in Burkina Faso or to Benin. In May 2022, as the siege came to an end, the jihadists overran the Burkinabe military base and then massacred over fifty civilians fleeing in the Singou massacre.

References

  1. 1 2 "Une opération de sauvetage complexe, deux militaires français tués : le récit de la libération des otages au Burkina Faso". May 10, 2019 – via Le Monde.
  2. ↑ FRANCE 24 (2019-05-13). Ce que l’on sait de l’opération de libération des otages français au Burkina Faso . Retrieved 2024-09-12– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Une opération de sauvetage complexe, deux militaires français tués : le récit de la libération des otages au Burkina Faso" (in French). 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  4. ↑ "French hostages praise rescue 'from hell'". 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  5. ↑ "S. Korean hostage in Burkina Faso was 'regular tourist': official". France 24. 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  6. 1 2 "Bénin: le guide des Français disparus retrouvé mort". Le Figaro (in French). 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  7. ↑ Peltier, Elian (2019-05-10). "Two French Soldiers Are Killed in Raid That Frees Four Hostages in Burkina Faso". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Cédric de Pierrepont et Alain Bertoncello, deux soldats d'exception". parismatch.com (in French). 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  9. ↑ "Burkina: deux commandos marine français tués lors d'une opération de libération d'otages". archive.wikiwix.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  10. ↑ "EXCLUSIF. Le chef des opérations spéciales fait le récit du sauvetage des otages". lejdd.fr (in French). 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  11. ↑ "Burkina: six questions sur une opération spéciale". l'Opinion (in French). 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  12. 1 2 3 "Burkina Faso: quatre otages libérés, deux militaires français tués". RFI (in French). 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  13. ↑ FRANCE 24 (2019-05-10). REPLAY - Otages libérés au Sahel : conférence de presse au ministère des Armées . Retrieved 2024-09-12– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. 1 2 "Qui étaient les deux militaires français morts lors de l'opération de libération des otages au Burkina Faso ?". Franceinfo (in French). 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  15. ↑ BENOIT, Daphné (2019-05-10). "Burkina: l'armée française libère quatre otages, deux militaires tués". Orange Actualités (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  16. 1 2 "Burkina Faso : la mystérieuse otage américaine libérée par le commando français". Le Nouvel Obs (in French). 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  17. ↑ "French hostages praise rescue 'from hell' in Burkina Faso". BBC News. 11 May 2019.
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