Grand-Bassam shootings
| Grand-Bassam shootings | |
|---|---|
| Part of the spillover of the War in the Sahel | |
 The beach targeted, pictured in 2008 | |
| Location | Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast |
| Date | 13 March 2016 |
Attack type | Mass murder, mass shooting |
| Weapons | Assault rifles Hand grenades |
| Deaths | 22 (including 3 attackers) |
| Injured | 33 |
| Perpetrators | Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Mourabitoun |
No. of participants | 6 |
On 13 March 2016, three Islamist gunmen opened fire at a beach resort in Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast, killing at least 19 people and injuring 33 others.[1][2][3][4]
Attack
[edit | edit source]Three armed assailants[5] attacked the Étoile du Sud hotel which, according to Agence France-Presse, was occupied by numerous expatriates at the time.[6][nb 1] According to officials, 15 civilians and three special forces soldiers were killed.[8]
The attackers were described as African, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and grenade belts and dressed in casual clothes and balaclavas.[3] A shootout occurred between the attackers and police as the assailants reached the La Paillote Hotel. Local residents and tourists were evacuated by army personnel from the beach to nearby hotels, which were temporarily placed on lockdown.[9]
The Associated Press quoted Government officials as saying that security forces had killed six armed men.[10][11] The terrorists allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar".[12] An American embassy delegation was at Grand-Bassam on the date of the attack, but the US Embassy in Abidjan said on Twitter that there is "no evidence that U.S. citizens were targeted nor confirmed reports of any U.S [sic] citizens as harmed."[13][14] French authorities had warned both Ivory Coast and Senegal weeks earlier of the danger of a terrorist attack. [15]
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack.[16] On 17 March, AQIM released the names of the attackers: Hamza al-Fulani and Abu Adam al-Ansari from al-Mourabitoun and Abderrahmane al-Fulani from the "Emirate of the Desert".[17] It had been the third bloody attack on a tourism resort in West Africa for four months. In all, dozens of people fell victim to the assassinations and more were injured.[18][19]
Casualties
[edit | edit source]| Country | Number | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Côte d'Ivoire.svg Ivory Coast | 9 | [1] |
| File:Flag of France.svg France | 4 | [1] |
| File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon | 1 | [1][20] |
| File:Flag of Mali.svg Mali | 1 | [21] |
| File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria | 1 | [1] |
| File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 1 | [1] |
| File:Flag of North Macedonia.svg North Macedonia | 1 | [1][22] |
| Undisclosed | 1 | [23] |
| Total | 19 | [20] |
Reactions
[edit | edit source]Domestic
[edit | edit source]- President Alassane Ouattara, visiting the site, stated: "These cowardly attacks by terrorists will not be tolerated".[24]
International reactions
[edit | edit source]- File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada: Global Affairs Canada stated that "Canada condemns the terrorist attack at Grand-Bassam beach resort in Côte d'Ivoire. Our thoughts and prayers are with you."[25]
- File:Flag of France.svg France: President François Hollande stated that he "strongly condemns the cowardly attack that caused the death of at least ten civilians, including at least one French national, and several members of the security forces in Grand-Bassam".[26] He also stated that "France will bring its logistical support and intelligence to Ivory Coast to find the attackers. It will pursue and intensify its cooperation with its partners in the fight against terrorism."[27]
- File:Flag of India.svg India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attacks and stated his thoughts were with the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.[28][29]
- File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom: Prime Minister David Cameron stated on Twitter: "I'm appalled by the devastating terror attacks in Ankara and the Ivory Coast. My thoughts are with all those affected."[30]
- File:Flag of the United States.svg United States: In a statement by the National Security Council of the White House, the U.S. condemned the terrorist attack in Grand-Bassam. Furthermore, it extended deep condolences to the loved ones of the victims and that their thoughts and prayers also are with the injured. It also commended "the bravery of the Ivorian and French security personnel who responded to the situation and prevented even worse loss of life."[31]
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See also
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- 2015 Bamako hotel attack
- 2015 Sousse attacks
- 2016 Ouagadougou attacks
- Crime in Ivory Coast
- June 2016 Mogadishu attacks
- List of Islamist terrorist attacks
- List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2016
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ A group of Ukrainian peacekeepers was also at the beach.[7] Its team supervisor, Maj. Olena Liakhova, suffered a facial wound.[7]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d e f g Côte d’Ivoire : l’attentat de Grand-Bassam a majoritairement frappé des Ivoiriens (in French). Vincent Duhem, Jeune Afrique; 12.47pm, 16 March 2016 - updated 16 March 2016 at 12:58pm.
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- ^ a b Ukrainian peacekeepers commander injured in beach attack in Cote d'Ivoire, Interfax-Ukraine (14 March 2014)
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- ^ Côte d'Ivoire: une Macédonienne parmi les victimes (in French); published 15 March 2016 at 16:41; updated on 15 March 2016 at 16:46.
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- 2016 crimes in Ivory Coast
- 2016 murders in Africa
- 2016 mass shootings in Africa
- 2010s murders in Ivory Coast
- Attacks on buildings and structures in 2016
- Attacks on hotels in Africa
- Attacks on tourists in Africa
- Islamic terrorist incidents in 2016
- March 2016 crimes in Africa
- 2016 mass murders
- 21st-century mass murders in Africa
- Sud-Comoé
- Terrorist incidents attributed to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
- Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2016
- Terrorist incidents in Ivory Coast
- Islamic terrorism in Ivory Coast
- French people murdered abroad
- France–Ivory Coast relations