Bouka Weré ambush
Part of Mali War
DateJune 14, 2020
Location
Bouka Weré, Mali
Result JNIM victory
Belligerents
Mali Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Strength
64+ soldiers[1]
12 vehicles		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
27 soldiers[2]
4 vehicles		 None

On June 14, 2020, dozens of Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush perpetrated by the al-Qaeda linked group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). The attack was one of the deadliest incidents in recent Malian history, and served as a precursor to the 2020 Malian coup d'état.[3]

Ambush

Two UN peacekeepers were killed on June 13, the day before the attack, near Gao, heightening possibilities of further jihadist attacks.[4] On June 14, a convoy of twelve vehicles containing 64 Malian soldiers set out from Diabaly, but were ambushed at Bouka Weré.[5] Only twelve soldiers with three vehicles managed to return to the nearest Malian base, located in Goumakoura.[6] One of the vehicles was abandoned after getting stuck trying to return to Goumakoura.[6]

Casualties and aftermath

Initially, the Malian government stated that twenty-four soldiers were killed and eight survivors were recovered.[7] Military officials in the area believed up to forty soldiers were killed at first, but later estimates showed twenty-seven were killed and five soldiers were missing.[8][5] There is no information regarding the losses or personnel of the JNIM militants.

Protest leaders against Malian president IBK called for further protests and larger turnouts in the wake of the attack.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ "Dozens of troops 'dead or missing' in northwest Mali attack". www.aljazeera.com.
  2. ↑ "Attaque près de Diabaly: l'armée malienne livre un premier bilan". RFI. June 15, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Five Things to Know About Mali's Coup". United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  4. ↑ "Mali: Dozens of troops killed in militant ambush in central Mali on June 14". Mali: Dozens of troops killed in militant ambush in central Mali on June 14 | Crisis24. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  5. 1 2 "Mali : au moins 24 soldats tués dans une attaque jihadiste". France 24 (in French). 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  6. 1 2 "Mali: une quarantaine de soldats portés disparus après une embuscade près de Diabaly". RFI (in French). 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  7. ↑ "Dozens of troops 'dead or missing' in northwest Mali attack". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  8. 1 2 "Au Mali, le chef de file de la contestation appelle à manifester " en masse " vendredi". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  9. ↑ "24 Malian soldiers killed in ambush near Mauritania border". AP NEWS. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
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