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.

Background

Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin was formed in March 2017 as a coalition of five jihadist groups that initially rebelled against the Malian government in 2012. These groups included Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Katiba Macina, Al-Mourabitoun, the

Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa 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 ...

, and Ansar Dine, whose leader Iyad Ag Ghaly also became leader of JNIM.

Attack

The Waraba battalion of the Malian Army was attacked around 5am by three pickups in Boulikessi while on patrol on March 5. The soldiers fled the scene, some ending up in the village of Dambatousougou in Burkina Faso, and others in

Mondoro Mondoro (''Mɔ̀ndɔ́:rɔ́'') is a village and rural commune in the Cercle of Douentza in the Mopti Region of Mali, near the border of Burkina Faso. The commune contains 22 villages and had a population of 42,631 in the 2009 census. The commu ...

. Much of the Malian Army's equipment and weapons were destroyed or captured by the jihadists. The commander of the Malian detachment, Lieutenant-Colonel Abdoulaye Diallo, was killed fending off the jihadists. Fighting lasted for four hours. Fighters from the pro-government

Arab Movement of Azawad The Arab Movement of Azawad ( ar, الحركة العربية الأزوادية, french: link=no, Mouvement arabe de l’Azawad; MAA) is an Arab military organization active in Azawad/northern Mali. Initially known as the National Liberation Fron ...

were present near the attack, but did not intervene. The Malian government deployed reinforcements from the Waraba and Debo battalions, along with French forces, to search for the perpetrators.

Aftermath

AFP claimed the attack was perpetrated by Ansarul Islam shortly after news broke, but JNIM claimed responsibility on March 9. The Malian ministry of defense claimed the deaths of eleven soldiers and the injuries of five others. A resident of Boulikessi, speaking to ''Nord Sud Journal'', claimed thirteen soldiers were killed. The UN reported in its March 2017 report that fifteen Malian soldiers were killed and five were injured. JNIM claimed only two of their fighters were wounded in the attack, and claimed to have killed a dozen Malian soldiers. Three Malian soldiers taken captive during the attack appeared in JNIM propaganda videos in October 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulikessi, 2017 Battles of the Mali War in 2017 Battles involving Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin Battles involving Mali Battles in 2017 March 2017 events in Africa 2017 in Mali