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Loroni ambush

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Loroni ambush
Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
DateDecember 27, 2018
LocationLoroni, Burkina Faso
Result JNIM victory
Belligerents
Burkina Faso Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Commanders and leaders
Ouattara Issouf † Unknown
Strength
10 (Toeni brigade)
Unknown (Dedougou reinforcements)		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
10 killed
3-8 injured		 Unknown
Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso
Battles and operations
Terrorist attacks and massacres
Inter-government conflict

On December 27, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked Burkinabe soldiers in Loroni, northern Burkina Faso, killing ten soldiers. The attack was the deadliest incident for Burkinabe forces since the Nassoumbou attack in 2016.

Background

Northern Burkina Faso has been embroiled in a jihadist insurgency since 2015, with the Mali-based al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Niger-based Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and homegrown Ansarul Islam controlling swathes of territory and attacking civilians and Burkinabe forces. These groups had been expanding throughout Burkina Faso between 2017 and 2018, with attacks on the capital of Ouagadougou killing eight soldiers in March 2018 and Burkinabe forces defeating an Ansarul Islam contingent in Inata in October 2018.

Ambush

At about 4am on December 27, 2018, a primary school in Loroni was set ablaze. A ten-man patrol from the Toeni Territorial Gendarmerie Brigade led by Warrant Officer Ouattara Issouf and based twenty-five kilometers from Loroni, arrived in the town at 9am that day for a security mission to find the arsonists. However, when the men reached the entrance of Loroni, their convoy was ambushed by a group of jihadists. Three gendarmes were killed immediately, and the other seven called for reinforcements and fought back against the attackers. All ten men were killed, and a convoy of reinforcements from Dédougou hit an IED on the way to Loroni, injuring several soldiers.

Aftermath

JNIM claimed responsibility for the ambush the day after the attack. In their statement, JNIM claimed to have killed nine soldiers, although the Burkinabe government reported that ten gendarmes were killed and three were injured. RFI reported that eight soldiers were injured in the IED blast. The attack was the deadliest for Burkinabe soldiers since the Nassoumbou attack that kickstarted Ansarul Islam's insurgency in 2016.

References

  1. ^ "Burkina Faso: dix gendarmes tués dans une attaque dans le nord-ouest". RFI (in French). 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  2. "Attaques de Ouagadougou : un nouveau bilan fait état de huit militaires burkinabés tués" (in French). 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  3. "Raid aérien de l'armée française contre des djihadistes au Burkina Faso" (in French). 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  4. ^ AFP, Ouest-France avec (2018-12-27). "Burkina Faso. Dix gendarmes tués dans une embuscade". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  5. ^ "Dix gendarmes tués dans une embuscade au Burkina Faso". BBC News Afrique (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  6. Weiss, Caleb (2018-12-29). "JNIM claims ambush in Burkina Faso". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  7. ZONGO, Daouda (2018-12-29). "Embuscade de Toéni: les identités des 10 soldats décédés". Wakat Séra (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
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