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2016 Aguelhok ambush
Part of Mali War
Date May 18, 2016 Location North of Aguelhok, Mali19°28′N 0°52′E / 19.47°N 0.86°E / 19.47; 0.86 Result Indecisive
Belligerents
MINUSMA Chad	Ansar Dine
Casualties and losses
6 killed 2 wounded	Unknown
1 civilian killed

On May 18, 2016, militants from Ansar Dine ambushed Chadian forces north of Aguelhok, Mali.

Background

Aguelhok had been the site of a massacre by Tuareg separatists in the early days of the Mali War. Afterwards, Chadian peacekeepers as part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) staffed a base there.

Ambush

Around 5 pm, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Aguelhok, the Chadian peacekeepers hit a mine laid by Ansar Dine on the road, while they were escorting a logistics convoy. Four soldiers were killed in the initial blast, prompting jihadists on the east and west ditches to open fire on the convoy, with Chadian soldiers fighting back. The attackers stalled after a period of time, possibly fleeing. A MINUSMA plane flew over the site that night, and Chadian soldiers conducted patrols in the area the next day.

Aftermath

The attack was claimed on May 19 by Ansar Dine in a press release by Noureddine Ag Mohamed. Mohamed claimed "many enemies have remained lying down forever", but did not give a toll. MINUSMA announced that same day that five Chadian soldiers were killed in the ambush, and three were injured. One of the wounded succumbed to his wounds on May 24, bringing the toll to six killed and two wounded.

Three people were arrested by Chadian forces for the attack. One, a Tuareg shepherd, died in captivity on May 19 a few hours after his arrest. Two other suspects were released, a son and a relative of the shepherd.

References

1. ^ "Mali : cinq Casques bleus tchadiens de la Minusma tués près d'Aguelhok - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-23.
2. ^ "Mali: cinq casques bleus tués lors d'une attaque d'Ansar Dine dans le Nord" [Mali: five peacekeepers killed in an attack by Ansar Dine in the North] (in French). Radio France Internationale. 2016-05-19. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-23. Au Mali, cinq casques bleus de la Mission onusienne ont été tués mercredi 18 mai dans la région de Kidal, au nord d'Aguelhok. Trois soldats ont aussi été blessés grièvement. Il s'agit de militaires du contingent tchadien qui ont été pris dans une embuscade. L'attaque a été revendiqué jeudi par le groupe jihadiste Ansar Dine.
3. Makadji, Mamadou (May 30, 2016). "Mali: Mort d'un civil suite à une arrestation par les casques bleus : Des défenseurs des droits humains demandent une enquête internationale". Maliactu. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

• Ambushes of the Mali War
• Battles of the Mali War in 2016
• May 2016 events in Mali
• Battles of the Mali War involving Chad
• United Nations operations in Mali
• Battles involving Ansar Dine
• Kidal Region in the Mali War
• Road incidents in Mali
• 2016 road incidents in Africa