On 12 April 2013, four
Chad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
ian soldiers were killed, and five civilians were injured, in an attack by two
suicide bombers
A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...
in
Kidal
Kidal ( Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about and includes ...
,
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
.
Background
Since early February, Chadian and French troops have occupied
Kidal
Kidal ( Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about and includes ...
, using it as a key military base to house their troops and to renew counter-attacks on jihadists rebels in the
Adrar des Ifoghas
The Adrar des Ifoghas (also Adrar des Iforas; Tamasheq: ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵉⴼⵓⵖⴰⵙ in Tifinagh; Adrar n Ifoghas; ar, أدرار إيفوغاس Ifoghas' Mountains) is a massif located in the Kidal Region of Mali, reaching into Algeri ...
, situated just north of the city. The city has been targeted on several occasions since then. On 5 April, after the French-led
Operation Panther had ended, the Chadian army left the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains after weeks of battling Islamists to return their main base located on the outskirts of Kidal, bringing the number of troops there to 1,800.
Attack
On Friday morning 12 April 2013, a group of Chadian soldiers stationed in
Kidal
Kidal ( Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about and includes ...
went to the local market to buy supplies. At around 9:50 am, according to eyewitnesses, once the group made its debut a
suicide bomber
A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...
detonated his explosive belts in a nearby market stall, while Chadian soldiers were passing by, killing three soldiers instantly and severely wounding four more in the explosion. According to residents, the incident occurred on a street commonly frequented by Chadian soldiers, located about 100 meters from the town market itself. According to witness accounts, the first bomber was said to have been neutralized before he could explode his belt, but the second one succeeded, letting of a deadly blast that destroyed part of the market and also injured five bystanders. However, Chadian and
MNLA authorities claim only one suicide bomber took part in the attack itself. Immediately following the explosion, Chadian soldiers fired automatic weapons in the air, in an attempt to disperse the crowd from reaching the scene of the blast. According to Kidal's deputy mayor Abda Ag Kazina, the four soldiers were in a state of critical condition. The expected death toll was likely to rise. Following the explosion, army checkpoints were placed at the four main entrances to Kidal, in fear that more suicide bombers can infiltrate the city, as easily as they did that morning. The same day, a Chadian security source issued a statement indicating that
MOJWA
The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MOJWA) or the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MUJWA; ar, جماعة التوحيد والجهاد في غرب أفريقيا ''Jamāʿat at-tawḥīd wal-jih ...
(The Movement of Oneness and Jihadism in West Africa) was responsible for the suicide attack. According to inhabitants of the city, after the suicide bombing occurred, Chadian soldiers succumbed to fear and turned their weapons against civilians, firing live rounds of ammunition that injured five bystanders. A fourth Chadian soldier who was injured in the attack died overnight at a hospital in
Gao
Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley.
For much of its history Gao was an impor ...
. The three other wounded soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital
Bamako
Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...
, where from their military officials claim that they were in no life-threatening condition.
The same day, a suspect in the name of Sidi Amar Ould Algor, ranked a colonel in the
MNLA, was arrested by Chadian soldiers in connection to the earlier bombings, where he admitted he was the owner of the car that drove the future-suicide bomber to the Kidal market, where moments later he blew himself up. Tensions were raised following his arrest, as the
MNLA never granted the Chadian army permission to take custody of one of its fighters.
Aftermath
Earlier on the same day as the suicide attack, a
Chadian Air Force
The Chadian Air Force (french: Armée de l'Air Tchadienne or AAT) is the aviation branch of the Chad National Army. It was formed in 1961 as the Chadian National Flight/Squadron ( or ENT).
The force shares a base with French forces at N'Djamen ...
helicopter (probably a
Mil Mi-17 Hip-H) crashed around 50 km northeast of the
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
an town of
Sevare, killing all 5 occupants, including a senior military officer.
Two days after the attack, Chadian president
Idriss Deby
Idriss may refer to:
* Idriss Arnaoud Ali (born 1945), President of the National Assembly of Djibouti
* Idriss Carlos Kameni (born 1984), Cameroonian football player
* Idriss Déby (1952–2021), President of Chad
* Idriss Ndele Moussa, Chadian p ...
announced Chad would withdraw its troops, citing the jihadist's guerrilla tactics.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidal suicide attack
Attacks in Africa in 2013
Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2013
2013 in Mali
Kidal Region
Suicide bombings in Mali
Mass murder in 2013
Mali War
Terrorist incidents in Mali
2013 murders in Mali