Soumpi attack

Last updated
Soumpi attack
Part of Mali War
DateJanuary 27, 2018
Location
Result JNIM-CPA victory
Belligerents
Flag of Mali.svg Mali Flag of Jihad.svg Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Coalition of the People of Azawad
Commanders and leaders
Abass Dembélé
Daoud Ould Mohammedine [1]
Alkassoum Ag Abdoulaye
Strength
Unknown ~30
Casualties and losses
14 killed
18 injured
4 killed

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.

Contents

Background

Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin formed in 2017 as a coalition of five different jihadist groups which had been fighting the Malian government since the outbreak of the Mali War in 2012. Occasionally, the group worked with Tuareg rebel groups which originally rebelled against the Malian government but distanced themselves from the jihadists since. [2]

Attack

The Soumpi military camp was attacked on the morning of January 27, around 4am local time. [3] At the time of the attack, the base was manned by gendarmes, national guard forces and Malian soldiers. [4] Around 30 jihadists participated in the attack, firing rockets at the camp before assaulting it with automatic weapons. [5] After an hour and a half of fighting, Malian soldiers fled the camp. The jihadists pillaged the base before retreating towards Mauritania around 8am. [6]

Aftermath

An anonymous source in the Malian military told Reuters that fourteen Malian soldiers were killed and seventeen were injured. Two jihadists were killed as well, according to the source. [7] This was later corroborated by the Malian army, which released a statement stating fourteen soldiers were killed and eighteen were injured. [8] [3]

JNIM claimed responsibility for the attack on January 29, alleging to have captured six vehicles and losing four soldiers. Two Arabs, a Fulani, and a Tuareg were killed within their ranks, according to the group. [9]

A United Nations report from August 8, 2018, accused Alkassoum Ag Abdoulaye, the chief of staff for the Tuareg militant group Coalition of the People of Azawad, in participating in planning and executing the attack in collaboration with JNIM. The report stated the CPA's goals were opportunistic, aiming to seize weapons and ammunition. [10] [8]

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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 January 24, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) launched simultaneous attacks on Malian troops stationed in the towns of Boulikessi and Mondoro, Mali. The Malian forces, combined with French weapons from Operation Barkhane, repulsed the JNIM attacks from both towns.

On October 13, 2020, jihadists from al-Qaeda linked group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked a Malian military base in Sokoura, Malian reinforcements attempting to relieve the troops at the base were ambushed by more jihadists at the bridge in Parou, with the ensuing firefight killing 12 civilians. The attack was the deadliest attack in Mali since Bah Ndaw took power in a coup in August.

The Ménaka offensive was a series of offensives launched by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara against the Malian Army, Tuareg self-defense groups including the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA), and the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. The offensives took place in the Ménaka Cercle, in southeastern Mali.

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 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 as part of Operation Barkhane.

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

The battle of Gourma-Rharous took place on April 18, 2017, between French and Malian forces against an attacking Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.

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 November 24, 2023, jihadist militants from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked Malian forces at Niafunké, Mali.

On December 12, 2023, jihadist militants from Katiba Macina, an affiliate of the al-Qaeda aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), attacked Malian forces in the town of Farabougou. The attack killed dozens of Malian soldiers and was the first major raid in the town by JNIM since the Siege of Farabougou in 2020.

On February 28, 2024, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked the Malian military camp in Kwala, a village near Mourdiah, Mali. The attack was the first suicide car bombing by the group since 2022, and was part of a campaign by JNIM to expand influence in Koulikoro Region. Over thirty Malian soldiers were killed in the attack.

On May 26, 2024, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) jihadists attacked a Malian Army and Wagner Group base in Mourdiah, Koulikoro Region, Mali. The attack was repelled, and dozens of jihadists were killed.

On July 5, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked Nigerien forces near Midal, Niger. The attack was the first claimed by JNIM in Niger.

References

  1. "Laser du lundi : Le Mali agonise, le Sénégal s'engage à Mopti et la France relit les enjeux à l'échelle du Sahel (Par Babacar Justin Ndiaye)".
  2. "Examining Extremism: Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin | Examining Extremism | CSIS". www.csis.org. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  3. 1 2 "Au moins 14 soldats maliens tués dans l'attaque d'un camp militaire". Le Point (in French). 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  4. "Mali: nouvelle attaque contre le camp militaire de Soumpi, dans le nord du pays". RFI (in French). 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  5. "14 militaires maliens tués, des blessés et beaucoup de dégâts matériels à Soumpy". malijet.com. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  6. "Laser du lundi : Le Mali agonise, le Sénégal s'engage à Mopti et la France relit les enjeux à l'échelle du Sahel (Par Babacar Justin Ndiaye)". DAKARACTU.COM (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  7. "Attaque contre un camp militaire au Mali, au moins 14 morts". Yahoo News (in French). 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  8. 1 2 "Mali : attaque contre un camp militaire dans le nord du pays". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  9. "Le groupe lié à Al-Qaïda " JNIM " publie une production vidéo de haute qualité". kibaru.ml (in French). 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  10. "Rapport de l'ONU sur le Mali : ceux qui font obstacle à la paix – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-17.