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On October 13, a military camp in Sokura in central Mali, suffered a double terrorist attack, resulting in the deaths of twelve soldiers and twelve civilians. The announcement was made by the Malian army.
The Malian army has faced two attacks. First attack targeted Sokura military camp located in the center of the country, a few tens of kilometers from the border with Burkina Faso.
Nine Malian soldiers were initially killed in the camp. Reinforcements from the regular army were quickly dispatched to the area. They also fell into an ambush not far from a small bridge located between the villages of Bandiaraga and Bankass. According to some sources, the army lost three soldiers in the second attack.
The attackers also suffered significant casualties as at least eleven fighters were killed. Two vehicles were also destroyed.
On Tuesday afternoon, new army reinforcements were sent to the field. The goal was to quickly secure the attacked camp. United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali deployed air assets to secure the area, while peacekeepers provided first aid to soldiers and civilians, and evacuated critical cases by helicopter to appropriate medical centres.
Dépêchée sur les lieux, la MINUSMA a déployé des moyens aériens pour sécuriser la zone, alors que des Casques bleus prodiguaient les premiers secours aux soldats et civils, et évacuaient par hélicoptère les cas les plus critiques vers les centres médicaux appropriés. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/HFyHjQ0C55
— MINUSMA (@UN_MINUSMA) October 14, 2020
Another attack took place near the town of Bandiagara, where 12 civilians were killed the same day.
Three days of national mourning were proclaimed as of Thursday, October 15, 2020.
Commenting on the attacks on the Malian military, one of the UN officials said that the resurgence of terrorist acts had left about 175 dead in six months.
“The enemy is known and it is possible to defeat him. If we do not win this long-term war, we must be vigilant to win this victory, ” said the President of Mali, Bah N’daw.
On October 5, Malian authorities freed 204 suspected or convicted jihadists as part of negotiations for the release of a prominent Malian politician and a kidnapped French charity worker.
“As part of negotiations to obtain the release of Soumïla Cissé and Sophie Pétronin, more than 100 jihadist prisoners were released on Malian territory over the weekend”, a source close to the negotiations told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Réception des terroristes libérés des geôles du Mali du Burkina et de la Côte d'ivoire par Iyad ag ghali en personne en échange des 4 otages . Une fête a été organisée en leur honneur. Voilà le service après vente de la fameuse lutte anti-terroriste dans le Sahel . pic.twitter.com/pif9h2EWeQ
— Fenelon MASSALA (@rfemassala) October 10, 2020
Reporter at Financial Afrik and Les Afriques, Fenelon Massala, published the photos of reception of the terrorists released from the prisons of Mali, Burkina and Côte d’Ivoire by Iyad Ag Ghali, chief of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, in person. A party was held in their honor.
