On September 28, 2023, rebels from the
CSP-PSD attacked Malian bases in
Dioura, 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 ...
and
Léré.
Attack
CSP-PSD forces attacked the camp at Dioura on the evening of September 28. The CSP-PSD and CMA claimed that they had seized control of the camp at Dioura after two hours of fighting, and withdrew from the area around midnight after seizing lots of ammunition, weaponry, and equipment.
French media
Le Monde
(; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
and
RFI confirmed the CSP-PSD's seizure of the camp at Dioura.
The Malian Army reported during the evening of September 28 that there was a "complex terrorist attack", "kamikaze" in nature, on the camp in Dioura, but did not give any further details.
The army also claimed to have sent reinforcements and destroyed a column of the attackers' vehicles, which the CSP-PSD denied.
Aftermath
The Malian Army did not publish any information regarding the outcome of the attack at Dioura. The CSP-PSD published two conflicting press releases on September 30; CSP-PSD spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane announced that ninety-eight Malian soldiers were killed in the attack, dozens were injured, and five soldiers were taken prisoner and released shortly afterward.
A second report published by Colonel Moulay Ag Sidi Mola announced a toll of eighty-one Malian soldiers killed, five prisoners, five vehicles captured, and fifteen other vehicles destroyed.
Sidi Mola stated five CSP-PSD fighters were killed and ten others were injured.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dioura, 2023
Battles of the Mali War in 2023
Mopti Region in the Mali War
September 2023 in Mali
Battles of the Mali War involving Mali
Battles involving the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
Battles involving the Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies
Attacks on military installations in 2023
Attacks on military installations in Mali
Raids of the Mali War
Battles in 2023