Tin-Ediar attack
| Tin-Ediar attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Burkina Faso |
 Islamic State - Sahel Province | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
~70+ killed 5 captured Dozens wounded |
60 killed (per ACSS) 160 killed (per Burkina Faso, denied by ISGS) | ||||||
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.
Background
[edit]Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been embroiled in an insurgency by the Mali-based Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, the Niger-based Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and the homegrown Burkinabe Ansarul Islam. These insurgent groups began besieging government-controlled towns starting with Arbinda in 2019, and by early 2022 dozens of towns, including provincial capitals, were under siege by JNIM and Ansarul Islam.[1] Sieges became the modus operandi of these groups beginning in 2022, and jihadists often attacked civilians fleeing the areas while also preventing supplies and food from going in and out.[1] In 2021, northern Burkinabe towns such as Inata were overrun by jihadists after months-long sieges.[2]
ISGS has a heavy presence in Oudalan Province, where Tin-Ediar is located, and often ambushes Burkinabe soldiers traveling between bases in the province.[2]
Attack
[edit]At the time of the attack, a convoy of Burkinabe soldiers was traveling between Déou and Oursi when they were ambushed by ISGS militants in Tin-Ediar.[3][4] The soldiers in the convoy had been returning to their original base in Dori after having spent six months on the frontline.[5] Immediately after the ambush, intense fighting began between the Burkinabe soldiers and the jihadists.[3]
Journalist and Sahel expert Wassim Nasr attributed the attack to the Islamic State - Sahil Province, although Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) is the most established jihadist group in the area.[6][7] The Islamic State, in their statement on February 24 claiming responsibility for the attack, stated that they ambushed the soldiers with machine guns and other weapons.[8]
Aftermath
[edit]The Burkinabe army announced on February 20 that at least 51 soldiers were killed in the attack.[9][5] RFI stated that the death toll was likely higher as several dozen soldiers were stil missing.[4] Libération stated that local security sources assessed the death toll at seventy soldiers.[10] Burkinabe officials stated that a "response" with "aerial actions" helped kill or injure 160 jihadists from ISGS.[5] ISGS denied these figures in a broadcast on March 16.[11] The Africa Center for Strategic Studies stated that about 60 jihadists were killed in the counteroffensive.[12]
The ISGS stated that over seventy soldiers were killed in the ambush, and that five were captured and dozens more were injured.[8] In photos broadcast by ISGS, the bodies of at least 54 soldiers are visible.[13] The attack was the deadliest day for the Burkinabe army since the 2021 Inata attack.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b ""Death was slowly creeping on us"" (PDF). Amnesty International. July 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Au Burkina Faso, l'armée en plein doute face aux attaques terroristes" (in French). 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b "Ce que l'on sait de la sanglante attaque de Déou, dans le nord du Burkina Faso - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ a b "Burkina Faso: au moins 51 soldats tués dans une embuscade". RFI (in French). 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ a b c d "Au Burkina Faso, plus de cinquante soldats tués dans une attaque attribuée aux djihadistes" (in French). 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ FRANCE 24 (2023-02-22). Burkina Faso : trois attaques jihadistes ont visé le nord du pays en une semaine • FRANCE 24. Retrieved 2024-10-10 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Nasr, Wassim (February 21, 2023). "#BurkinaFaso le bilan de l'attaque risque d'augmenter, avec au moins 60 militaires tués". Twitter. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ a b "Attack on Military Patrol in Deou, Burkina Faso". Al-Amaq via Washington Institute. February 24, 2023. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ "Burkina Faso : au moins 51 soldats tués lors d'une nouvelle attaque sanglante au Sahel". Franceinfo (in French). 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Faivre, Agnès. "Massacres de soldats au Burkina Faso, les jihadistes défient le pouvoir". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Faso), APA-Ouagadougou (Burkina (2023-03-17). "Burkina : l'attaque de Tin-Akoff revendiquée par l'Etat islamique". APAnews - Agence de Presse Africaine (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ "Militant Islamist Group Violence Engulfs Burkina Faso" (PDF). Africa Center for Strategic Studies. 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ Nasr, Wassim (February 24, 2023). "#BurkinaFaso l'#EI diffuse les images des combats à #TinEdiar #Deou 54 dépouilles de militaires sont visibles,". Twitter. Retrieved October 10, 2024.