Loroni ambush

Last updated
Loroni ambush
Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
DateDecember 27, 2018
Location
Result JNIM victory
Belligerents
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso Islamic State flag.svg Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Commanders and leaders
Ouattara Issouf  Unknown
Strength
10 (Toeni brigade)
Unknown (Dedougou reinforcements)
Unknown
Casualties and losses
10 killed
3-8 injured
Unknown

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.

Contents

Background

Northern Burkina Faso has been embroiled in a jihadist insurgency since 2015, with the Mali-based al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Niger-based Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and homegrown Ansarul Islam controlling swathes of territory and attacking civilians and Burkinabe forces. [1] These groups had been expanding throughout Burkina Faso between 2017 and 2018, with attacks on the capital of Ouagadougou killing eight soldiers in March 2018 and Burkinabe forces defeating an Ansarul Islam contingent in Inata in October 2018. [2] [3]

Ambush

At about 4am on December 27, 2018, a primary school in Loroni was set ablaze. [4] A ten-man patrol from the Toeni Territorial Gendarmerie Brigade led by Warrant Officer Ouattara Issouf and based twenty-five kilometers from Loroni, arrived in the town at 9am that day for a security mission to find the arsonists. [5] However, when the men reached the entrance of Loroni, their convoy was ambushed by a group of jihadists. Three gendarmes were killed immediately, and the other seven called for reinforcements and fought back against the attackers. [1] [5] All ten men were killed, and a convoy of reinforcements from Dédougou hit an IED on the way to Loroni, injuring several soldiers. [4]

Aftermath

JNIM claimed responsibility for the ambush the day after the attack. [6] In their statement, JNIM claimed to have killed nine soldiers, although the Burkinabe government reported that ten gendarmes were killed and three were injured. [7] RFI reported that eight soldiers were injured in the IED blast. [1] The attack was the deadliest for Burkinabe soldiers since the Nassoumbou attack that kickstarted Ansarul Islam's insurgency in 2016. [5]

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">Ansarul Islam (Sahel)</span> Militant Islamist group

Ansarul Islam is a militant Islamist group active in Burkina Faso and in Mali. It was founded by Boureima Dicko, also known as Ibrahim Malam Dicko, and it is the first native Jihadi group in Burkina Faso. The group cooperates closely with Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

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">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.

On January 10, 2019, Ansarul Islam militants killed 20 civilians in Gasseliki, Burkina Faso. The attack came in the wake of a massacre perpetrated by the Koglweogo in Yirgou, in Barsalogho department, just days earlier.

On March 20, 2022, unknown jihadists ambushed Burkinabe soldiers in Natiaboani, Gourma Province, Burkina Faso, killing thirteen soldiers and an unknown number of jihadists.

On July 31, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin ambushed a convoy of Malian soldiers transporting electoral votes near Dogofry, Mali.

On May 2, 2017, Malian forces were ambushed by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin fighters near Dogofry, Mali.

On March 5, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in Boulikessi. The attack was the first by JNIM since its inception that month.

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

On January 28, 2023, suspected Islamic State jihadists attacked Burkinabe soldiers and Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) militiamen in the city of Falagountou, Burkina Faso.

On March 21, 2024, militants from the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) ambushed Nigerien soldiers between the towns of Teguey and Bankilare, Tillabéri Region, Niger killing at least 23 soldiers.

On May 14, 2019, jihadists from Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked Nigerien forces in Baley Beri, Niger, killing twenty-seven Nigerien soldiers.

On July 31, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed Nigerien forces near Torodi, Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing 18 Nigerien soldiers.

On November 9, 2017, clashes broke out between Burkinabe forces and Ansarul Islam in the hills between Kereboule and Ariel, Soum Province, Burkina Faso. It was the first major victory against jihadists by the Burkinabe government since the start of the jihadist insurgency in the country.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Burkina Faso: dix gendarmes tués dans une attaque dans le nord-ouest". RFI (in French). 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  2. "Attaques de Ouagadougou : un nouveau bilan fait état de huit militaires burkinabés tués" (in French). 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  3. "Raid aérien de l'armée française contre des djihadistes au Burkina Faso" (in French). 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  4. 1 2 AFP, Ouest-France avec (2018-12-27). "Burkina Faso. Dix gendarmes tués dans une embuscade". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  5. 1 2 3 "Dix gendarmes tués dans une embuscade au Burkina Faso". BBC News Afrique (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  6. Weiss, Caleb (2018-12-29). "JNIM claims ambush in Burkina Faso". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  7. ZONGO, Daouda (2018-12-29). "Embuscade de Toéni: les identités des 10 soldats décédés". Wakat Séra (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.