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2008 Nampala attack

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On December 20, 2008, Tuareg rebels from the Niger-Mali Tuareg Alliance attacked Malian forces in Nampala, Mali.

2008 Nampala attack
Part of Tuareg rebellion (2007–2009)
DateDecember 20, 2008
Location
Nampala, Mali
Result ATNM victory
Belligerents
Mali ATNM
MNJ (per Mali)
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Ibrahim Ag Bahanga
Casualties and losses
9-20 killed
13 injured
Several missing		 11 killed (per Mali)
Several civilians killed

Background

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Ibrahim Ag Bahanga, the leader of the Malian Tuareg rebel group Niger-Mali Tuareg Alliance (ATNM), had returned to Mali from exile in Libya just before December 2008. Bahanga's ATNM was one of the last Tuareg rebel groups active during the Tuareg rebellion, as his previous group May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change (ADC) had signed an Algerian-brokered peace agreement months prior.[1] Beginning on December 18, 2008, Bahanga's ATNM started attacking Malian forces again.[1]

Battle

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On December 20, ATNM fighters attacked the Malian garrison at Nampala after travelling around a thousand kilometers from their bases in Algeria. The ATNM convoy was spotted en route by American satellites, but Malian officials dismissed the warning.[2] The assault began around 3am, with ATNM using fifty men on around 15 to 16 pick-ups to conduct the attack.[3] Malian security sources alleged that the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) was embedded with the ATNM.[3] The initial attack was repelled by Malian forces, but rebels that had recently integrated into the Malian army mutinied and killed their company commander.[4][2] The mutiny sowed panic between Malian troops, and the garrison was taken in a second ATNM attack.[2] Malian reinforcements then arrived at Nampala.[3]

Aftermath

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The Malian Ministry of Defense stated nine soldiers and eleven rebels were killed in the attack.[2] Malian newspaper L'Essor put the toll at fifteen Malian soldiers killed and thirteen injured, with many more missing.[3] Sources close to the ATNM alleged that twenty Malian soldiers were killed, and several civilians were killed in the attack as well.[2][5]

The Nampala attack ended negotiations between rebel groups and the Malian government. Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré ordered colonels El Hadj Ag Gamou and Ould Meydou to begin Operation Djigutugu to destroy ATNM bases in and around northern Mali.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "ALLIANCE TOUAREGUE NIGER MALI POUR LE CHANGEMENT". Archived from the original on 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Government Forces Overrun Tuareg Rebel Camps in Northern Mali". Jamestown. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  3. ^ a b c d L'Essor. "Mali : attaque touarègue à Nampala : 15 morts et 13 blessés dénombrés". PRESSAFRIK.COM, Premier journal en ligne au Sénégal et en Afrique de l'ouest (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  4. ^ "Mali: attaque meurtrière d'un poste militaire par rebelles touareg". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  5. ^ "2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices". US Department of State. February 25, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Rabasa, Angel; Gordon, John; Chalk, Peter; Grant, Audra K.; McMahon, K. Scott; Pezard, Stephanie; Reilly, Caroline; Ucko, David; Zimmerman, S. Rebecca (2011), "The Tuareg Insurgency in Mali, 2006–2009", From Insurgency to Stability, Volume II: Insights from Selected Case Studies, RAND Corporation, pp. 117–156, ISBN 978-0-8330-5314-5, JSTOR 10.7249/mg1111-2osd.13, retrieved 2024-04-11
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