2013 In Mali
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The following lists events that happened during
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
in the
Republic of Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east by Niger, to the northwest by Mauri ...
.


Events


January

* January 8 - The Malian army used artillery on Islamist rebels in Gnimignama in the first skirmish between the two belligerents since April 2012, when Islamist and Tuareg rebels first assumed control of the region. * January 10 - Islamists capture the town of Konna, previously held by the Malian army. * January 11 -
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
commits troops to aid government forces in the
Northern Mali conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , width = 35% , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 300 , caption ...
. * January 12 - A French pilot is killed in a helicopter raid in northern Mali, according to French Minister of Defence
Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex (2017–2022) and as Minister of Defence under Preside ...
. * January 14 - Islamists rebels capture Diabaly after fierce fighting with government troops, as French airplanes strike targets 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 imp ...
. * January 15 - African troops are to be deployed in Mali to fight alongside French and Malian soldiers within a week. * January 16 - French troops are reported to be fighting rebels in Diabaly alongside Malian troops. * January 17 -
Northern Mali conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , width = 35% , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 300 , caption ...
** The number of French forces in the country rises to 1,400, more than half of the planned 2,500 strong force, as its troops continue to fight insurgents in Konna and Diabaly. Chad prepares to send the first 200 troops of a 2000-strong force to assist in the military operations as part of a regional mission. The European Union votes to send 450 to 500 "non-combat" troops to Mali, half of them are trainers. ** The first West African troops enter Mali. 100 soldiers from the Togolese military enter the country with Nigerian military due to enter shortly afterward. * January 18 - The Military of Mali recaptures the town of Konna three days after French jets drove out Islamist militants. * January 20 - Islamists flee the town of Diabaly after repeated French airstrikes. The government of Mali now says that they control the city. * January 21 - French and Malian troops retake Diabaly and
Douentza Douentza (Fulfulde: ''Duwayⁿsa'') is a town and urban commune in the Mopti Region of central Mali. The town lies 145 km east-northeast of Mopti on the RN16, a paved road that links Mopti and Gao. It is the administrative center of the Doue ...
as Islamist forces retreat. * January 24 - The Malian army says it is investigating allegations that soldiers have carried out
summary execution In civil and military jurisprudence, summary execution is the putting to death of a person accused of a crime without the benefit of a free and fair trial. The term results from the legal concept of summary justice to punish a summary offense, a ...
s in the Islamist-controlled north of Mali. * January 25 - The Malian army retakes the town of
Hombori Hombori is a small town and rural commune in the Cercle of Douentza in the Mopti Region of Mali. The commune contains 25 villages and in the 2009 census had a population of 23,099. The town lies just to the north of the Hombori Tondo mesa on the ...
after driving Islamist forces out. * January 26 - French-led troops in Mali take control of Gao International Airport in the northern town and Islamist stronghold of Gao. * January 27 - French forces prepare an attack on
Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census. ...
to defeat Islamists, as more African troops are sent into Mali. * January 28 -
Northern Mali conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , width = 35% , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 300 , caption ...
** French troops take over
Timbuktu Airport Timbuktu Airport is an airport in Timbuktu, Mali that opened on April 15, 1961. Airlines and destinations The start of Sky Mali's service to Timbuktu in February 2021 marked the first commercial flights to the airport since the city was captur ...
as they enter the city without any resistance from the Islamists. Residents report that the French now control all access to the city. ** The fleeing Islamists set on fire the Timbuktu library containing the Timbuktu Manuscripts. The extent of the damage is still unknown. * January 29 -
Northern Mali conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , width = 35% , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 300 , caption ...
** The UK announces it will deploy 330 military personnel to Mali and other West African countries in support of French forces operating in the area. ** French troops take Timbuktu while Tuareg forces of MNLA claim they control the city of
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 incl ...
. * January 30 - French forces enter the city of Kidal after seizing its airport overnight.


February

* February 8 - The country's first reported suicide bomber blows himself up 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 imp ...
, injuring one Malian soldier. In the north, French and Chadian forces retake the city of
Tessalit Tessalit is a Communes of Mali, rural commune and village in the Kidal Region of Mali. The village is the administrative centre of Tessalit Cercle (district). The village lies north of Aguelhok, Adjelhoc and about from the Algerian border. Th ...
. * February 10 - Firefights between Islamists and the Malian Army break out in Gao. * February 11 - Insurgents launch an attack on the strategic city of Gao, capturing a police station and sparking a day-long firefight that included Malian troops, as well as French attack helicopters. * February 22 - 13 Chadian soldiers and 65 Islamist insurgents are killed in heavy fighting in a remote part of northern Mali. * February 24 - 10 Chadian soldiers and 28 Islamist insurgents are killed in heavy fighting in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains of northern Mali.


March

* March 1 - One of Islamist organisations
al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
's most feared commanders in Africa, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, is killed by Chadian forces in Northern Mali. * March 2 - Chadian soldiers kill
Mokhtar Belmokhtar Mokhtar Belmokhtar (; ;pronounced in Algerian Arabic as 1 June 1972 – November 2016), also known as Khalid Abu al-Abbas, the One-Eyed, Nelson, and the Uncatchable, was an Algerian leader of the group Al-Murabitoun, former military commander ...
, an al-Qaeda commander in Mali responsible for a mass hostage-taking at an Algerian gas plant. * March 4 -
Northern Mali conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , width = 35% , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 300 , caption ...
** French officials announce that a soldier was killed in action during contact with Islamic militants over the weekend. It is
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
's third casualty since operations began in
Operation Serval Operation Serval () was a French military operation in Mali. The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of Mali. Operation Serval followed the United Nations Security ...
. ** France claims that it is "probable" that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb chief Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was killed in Mali in late February. * March 23 - France formally confirms death of Islamist commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, a senior al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in February, after DNA tests. * March 27 - The government of Mali announces that 63 of their soldiers have been killed fighting jihadists since the French led intervention Operation Serval in January 2013. * March 31 - Rebel Islamist fighters attempt to infiltrate Timbuktu, but are repelled by French and Malian forces.


April

* April 6 -
Northern Mali conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , width = 35% , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 300 , caption ...
** Tuareg separatists in Northern Mali mark the one year anniversary since the founding of the unilaterally declared Azawad. ** One soldier is killed when the National Guard attacked a camp occupied by police who supported the
2012 Malian coup d'état The 2012 Malian coup d'état began on 21 March that year, when mutinying Malian soldiers, displeased with the management of the Tuareg rebellion, attacked several locations in the capital Bamako, including the presidential palace, state televi ...
that ousted the Malian president. * April 12 - Two suicide bombers kill three Chadian soldiers and injure dozens of civilians at a market in Kidal.


References

{{Year in Africa, 2013 2010s in Mali Years of the 21st century in Mali
Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...