Battle of Boulikessi (2019)
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| Battle of Boulikessi (2019) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mali War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Mali Burkina Faso France (air support only) |
 Ansarul Islam Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
120 men initially, reinforcements unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
40 killed (per Malian government), 85 killed (per JNIM) None |
15+ dead | ||||||
| 4 civilians killed | |||||||
The battle of Boulikessi took place between September 30 and October 1, 2019. Jihadists from JNIM and Ansarul Islam attacked Malian bases in Boulikessi and Mondoro, killing between 40 and 85 Malian soldiers, making it the deadliest attack for the Malian army since the Second Battle of Kidal in 2014.
Throughout the Mali War, the eastern parts of Mopti Region in Mali have been a hotbed of jihadist violence, particularly between the Malian government and groups like Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). In Burkina Faso, which has been struggling through its own jihadist insurgency since 2015, Ansarul Islam is often responsible for the jihadist violence, with both groups launching raids on Malian outposts. The town of Boulikessi had been subject to raids before, with the first one in 2017 by JNIM killing a dozen Malian soldiers.[1]
Battle
On the night between September 29 and 30, jihadist groups launched a simultaneous attack on the towns of Boulikessi and Mondoro.[2] The attack in Mondoro was quicker, with the raid mainly being for food and vehicles, and only a small skirmish broke out between the jihadists and the Malian Army. Two civilians were killed and three were injured in the Mondoro attack.[3][4]
In Boulikessi, the jihadists launched the attack on the Fort 11 base, which was manned by the elite 33rd Parachute Commando Regiment of the Malian Army.[5][6] At the start of the attack, many Malian soldiers fled, allowing the jihadists to capture the base within an hour.[7] The jihadists then looted and partially destroyed the base, with a non-commissioned officer stating "The men did not fight, those who fled were not killed."[8][7]
Despite the Malian soldiers fleeing, the Malian government dispatched reinforcements to the area, and clashes continued around the base in the days following.[9][10] The G5 Sahel then launched a counterattack on Boulikessi, with the aid of French drones and the Burkinabe Armed Forces.[8] The French government did not commit any ground forces in the battle, and only were used to intimidate the jihadists.[5] On the morning of October 1, Malian and Burkinabe forces recaptured the camp at Mondoro, and in the evening, recaptured Fort 11 and other positions in Boulikessi.[10]