Battle of Andéramboukane (2022)
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| Battle of Andéramboukane | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Mali War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 GATIA MSA Mali | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Moussa Ag Acharatoumane El Hadj Ag Gamou Sidi Ghaly |
 Abu al-Bara al-Sahrawi | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
20 (per GATIA)[1] 67 (per ISGS) |
70 (per MSA) 100 (per GATIA) | ||||||
The Battle of Andéramboukane occurred between 4 and 5 June 2022, during the Ménaka offensive of the Mali War. The pro-government militias Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA) attempted to retake the Islamic State-held town of Andéramboukane but were unsuccessful.
In March 2022, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) launched an offensive in the Ménaka Region of eastern Mali, held predominantly by pro-government Tuareg militias.[2] By April, ISGS fighters had killed 300 to 500 civilians in Ménaka region, mainly Tuaregs.[3] ISGS captured Andéramboukane on March 12, and the town, previously populated by around 20,000 residents, became a "ghost town."[4][5][6]
By May, the ISGS offensive had stalled, although they still controlled a swath of territory by the Malian border, including Andéramboukane and the surrounding towns of Infoukeraten, Tadjalalt, Ichinanane, and Tamalat.[7] Around the end of May, ISGS went on the offensive again, attacking the towns of Aghazraghen Igadou, Emis-Emis, and Inekar, east of the regional capital of Ménaka.[6][7] These attacks failed, and prompted GATIA and the MSA to prepare for a counter-attack on Andéramboukane.[8][9]
Prior to the Tuareg offensive, the Malian Army had been relatively inactive in the region, with only a mainly-Tuareg group called GTIA 8 being present in the area. GTIA 8 was commanded by El Hadj Ag Gamou, the overall commander of GATIA, and many GTIA 8 troops had close ties with GATIA.[6][8]