2018 Ouagadougou Attacks
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On 2 March 2018, at least eight heavily armed militants launched an assault on key locations throughout
Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...
, the capital city of
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
. Targets included the French embassy and the headquarters of Burkina Faso's military.


Background

In the aftermath of the
2011 Libyan Civil War The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...
, militant attacks have increased due to a large influx of weapons and fighters into the region. Neighbouring Mali faced conflict in
Azawad Azawad, or Azawagh (Tuareg languages, Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ), was a short-lived diplomatic recognition, unrecognised state lasting between 2012 and 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg, Tuareg Berber name for all Tuareg Ber ...
that threatened to split the country. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has faced cross-border attacks and sporadic raids in its territory, the result of instability and unrest in neighboring countries. Two major attacks have occurred in the capital
Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...
in recent years: In 2016, attacks on a hotel and restaurant killed 30 people, including foreigners; and in 2017, similar attacks killed 19 people, including foreigners. Both of these attacks were carried out by
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (, ), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state. To that end, it was then engaged in an insurgency ...
. Burkina Faso also faced an
uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
in 2014 leading to the downfall of President
Blaise Compaoré Blaise Compaoré (born 3 February 1951)''Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders'' (2003), page 76–77.
later that year. Burkina Faso is a member of the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Partnership and its commitment of peacekeeping troops in Mali and
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
has made it a target for extremists in the region.


Attacks

At around 10:00 a.m., the attackers began their assault on the military headquarters, detonating a
car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...
in an apparent attempt at targeting a meeting of senior officers. The blast destroyed one room in the building. Shortly after the assault on the army headquarters, gunmen converged on the French embassy, exchanging fire with local security forces and French special forces soldiers. The French Institute, a cultural organisation located in the city, was targeted as well according to an embassy statement. Local police believes that "Islamic extremists" were behind the attack, which involved the use of gunfire and at least one car bomb. Many of the gunmen were also reportedly wearing army uniforms. Five of the militants were killed at the embassy, and at least three others were killed near the army headquarters, according to Communications Minister Remy Danjuinou. Eight soldiers have been killed, and 85 others wounded. To the west of the capital, heavy smoke rose from the army joint chief of staff’s office, where unnamed witnesses reported loud explosions. Windows were broken there and in the surrounding buildings.


Perpetrators

The day after the attack, the group
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin Jama'at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (, JNIM; , GSIM; ) is a Salafi jihadism, Salafi Jihadist organisation in the Maghreb and West Africa formed by the merger of Ansar Dine, Al-Mourabitoun (militant group), al-Mourabitoun and the Saharan branc ...
(JNIM), an affiliate group of
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (, ), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state. To that end, it was then engaged in an insurgency ca ...
led by
Iyad Ag Ghaly Iyad Ag Ghaly (, sometimes romanised as Ag Ghali; born 1954), also known as Abū al-Faḍl (), is a Tuareg Islamist militant from Mali's Kidal Region. He has been active in Tuareg rebellions against the Malian government since the 1980s – pa ...
, claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it retaliation for a previous raid during
Operation Barkhane Operation Barkhane (French language, French: ''Opération Barkhane'') was a counterinsurgency operation that started on 1 August 2014 and formally ended on 9 November 2022. It was led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa's S ...
by the French army in northern Mali. On 5 March, the group released a picture of the suicide bomber who detonated the explosives at the army headquarters, identifying him as Yunus al-Fulani. On 7 March, eight people were arrested in connection to the attack including two military officers.


Reactions

: Prime Minister
Paul Kaba Thieba Paul Kaba Thieba (born 28 July 1960) is a Burkinabé economist and politician who was appointed and served as Prime Minister of Burkina Faso from 6 January 2016 to 19 January 2019. Thieba was appointed by President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré on ...
condemned the attacks, labeling them "revolting." In a statement, President Christian Kaboré said the country had again become the "target of dark forces.” During a subsequent meeting with the presidents of
Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
and
Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...
, Kaboré vowed to "end terrorism no matter what" and claimed "no sacrifice will be too high in the defense of our fatherland.” : Egypt's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
denounced the attacks in the "strongest terms." The Ministry released a statement expressing support for "the efforts of France and Sahel states in facing this phenomena ''(sic)'' that attacks security and stability worldwide." : French President
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
spoke by telephone with Burkinabe president Christian Kaboré to issue condolences and pledge his continuing support to the country. French foreign minister
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 ...
announced that a "crisis unit" had been established and said that the security of French nationals in the region was "his priority." : Japan's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
issued a statement strongly condemning the attacks and expressing condolences to those affected. The statement went on to express the commitment of the Japanese government "to continue to support the efforts of the Government of Burkina Faso to improve the security situation in Burkina Faso, in cooperation with the international community." : The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the attack, issued condolences to the victims, and reiterated the Kingdom's rejection of terrorism. : Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan Recep is a Turkish name deriving from the Arabic name Rajab. It may refer to: People Surname * Aziz Recep (born 1992), German-Greek footballer * Sibel Recep (born 1987), Swedish pop singer Given name * Recep Adanır (1929–2017), Turkish fo ...
said in a press conference while visiting neighboring
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 ...
, "We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks that took place in Ouagadougou". :
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Secretary-General
António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who is serving as the ninth and current secretary-general of the United Nations since 2017. A member of the Socialist Party (Portugal), ...
spoke over the phone with President Kaboré, and expressed his solidarity with Burkina Faso as well as his "profound sympathy." The
UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
called the attacks "barbaric and cowardly". : In a statement condemning recent violence in
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
, the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
expressed its "deepest sympathies" to the families of those killed and claimed that the attacks only served to "strengthen the resolve of the United States." The State Department also issued a travel advisory, urging Americans to avoid Burkina Faso due to "terrorism."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouagadougou attacks Terrorist incidents in Burkina Faso in 2018 2018 murders in Burkina Faso Attacks on diplomatic missions of France Islamic terrorist incidents in 2018 2018 mass shootings in Africa March 2018 crimes in Africa Suicide car and truck bombings in Africa Mass murder in 2018 Suicide bombings in 2018 Ouagadougou attacks 21st century in Ouagadougou Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso 21st-century mass murder in Burkina Faso 2018 building bombings Building bombings in Africa Attacks on government buildings and structures in Africa 2018 in international relations Burkina Faso–France relations Terrorist incidents attributed to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Car and truck bombings in Burkina Faso Attacks on buildings and structures in Burkina Faso