On October 1, 2023, rebels from the
CSP-PSD attacked Malian forces in
Bamba,
Gao Region
Gao ( Bambara: ߜߊߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Gao Dineja) is a region in northeastern Mali. The capital city is Gao.
Geography
The region is bordered to the north by Kidal Region, to the west by Tombouctou Region and Taoudénit Region, to the east b ...
, Mali.
Background
Since the start of 2023, tensions had intensified between the Malian junta that took power in 2021 and the allied
Wagner Group
The Wagner Group (), officially known as PMC Wagner (, ), is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) controlled 2023 Wagner Group plane crash, until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Pu ...
mercenaries against the
(CSP-PSD), a coalition of the former rebel
Coordination of Azawad Movements
The Coordination of Azawad Movements ( (CMA); ; ) is a large coalition of Tuareg independentist and Arab nationalist groups that formed in Mali during the Northern Mali conflict in 2014.
Organization
The CMA was founded on 28 October 2014 as ...
(CMA) and the pro-government
Platform
Platform may refer to:
Arts
* Platform, an arts centre at The Bridge, Easterhouse, Glasgow
* ''Platform'' (1993 film), a 1993 Bollywood action film
* ''Platform'' (2000 film), a 2000 film by Jia Zhangke
* '' The Platform'' (2019 film)
* Pla ...
militias. Malian and Wagner forces attacked the town of
Ber in August 2023, the first major clashes between the two groups since the signing of the
Algiers Accords
The Algiers Accords of January 19, 1981 was a set of obligations and commitments undertaken independently by the United States and Iran to resolve the Iran hostage crisis, brokered by the Algerian government and signed in Algiers on January 19, ...
in 2015. CSP-PSD spokesmen denounced the attack, and stated that retaliation would occur. The CSP-PSD then declared war on the Malian junta, and attacked Malian forces in
Bourem
Bourem is a commune and small town in the Gao Region of northeastern Mali. The town sits on the left bank of the River Niger.
It was the site of an attack by the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD) on ...
,
Léré, and
Dioura
Dioura is a village and seat of the commune of Karéri in the Cercle of Ténenkou in the Mopti Region of southern-central Mali.
History
On 17 March 2019, gunmen attacked a Malian army base in Dioura, killing at least sixteen soldiers.
On 30 S ...
.
On September 7, 2023, jihadists from
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 ...
raided the Malian military camp at Bamba in a simultaneous attack on the camp and a civilian ship in
Gourma-Rharous.
Attack
The CSP-PSD and CMA attacked the military camp in Bamba at 6am on the morning of October 1.
Because of the jihadist attack less than a month beforehand, most of the camp had already been pillaged or damaged.
Malian officials reported "intense fighting" at the camp later on the day of October 1, and the CSP-PSD claimed the capture of the military camp around the same time.
RFI later confirmed photographs that showed that CSP-PSD and the CMA were in control of the camp at Bamba. The CSP-PSD and CMA took Malian equipment from the camp as they left.
The Malian army did not release a statement on the aftermath of the attacks, including the casualties of Malian or rebel soldiers.
The CSP-PSD announced the deaths of twenty-five Malian soldiers during the attack along with six taken prisoner, and showcased videos of three captured
VP11 vehicles and two pieces of heavy artillery. The CSP-PSD claimed that they only suffered one dead fighter and four injured fighters.
Aftermath
Four days after the attack, the CSP-PSD ambushed Malian forces at the dam in
Taoussa.
The CSP-PSD claimed the deaths of nine Malian soldiers and two taken prisoner, as well as the destruction of thirteen vehicles and twelve others captured.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamba 2023
Battles of the Mali War in 2023
October 2023 in Mali
Battles of the Mali War involving Mali
Battles involving the Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies
Battles involving the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
Gao Region in the Mali War
Attacks on military installations in 2023
Attacks on military installations in Mali
Battles in 2023