Grand-Bassam shootings explained

Grand-Bassam shootings
Partof:the spillover of the Sahel insurgency
Location:Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast
Date:13 March 2016
Type:Mass murder, mass shooting
Fatalities:16 civilians and 3 special forces members
(+3 attackers)
Injuries:33
Perpetrators:
Al-Mourabitoun
Weapons:Assault rifles
Hand grenades
Numparts: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]

Attack

Three armed assailants[4] attacked the Étoile du Sud hotel which, according to Agence France-Presse, was occupied by numerous expatriates at the time.[5] According to officials, 15 civilians and three special forces soldiers were killed.[6]

The attackers were described as African, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and grenade belts and dressed in casual clothes and balaclavas. 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.[7]

The Associated Press quoted Government officials as saying that security forces had killed six armed men.[8] [9] The terrorists allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar".[10] 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 citizens as harmed."[11] [12] French authorities had warned both Ivory Coast and Senegal weeks earlier of the danger of a terrorist attack. [13]

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack.[14] 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".[15] 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.[16] [17]

Casualties

Deaths by nationality!Country!Number!Ref.
9[18]
4
1[19]
1[20]
1
1
1[21]
Undisclosed1[22]
Total19

Reactions

Domestic

International reactions

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".[25] 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."[26]

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.[27] [28]

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."[29]

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."[30]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Death toll in Ivory Coast militant attack rises to 18: government . Reuters Editorial . 14 March 2016 . Reuters.
  2. Web site: Ivory Coast hotel shooting: Gunmen 'kill 15 including four Europeans' in Grand Bassam beach resort . Telegraph.co.uk . 13 March 2016.
  3. Web site: Ivory Coast Hotel Shooting: 12 Dead – Reports . Sky News . 13 March 2016 . 13 March 2016.
  4. Web site: Gunmen open fire in Ivory Coast tourist resort . 13 March 2016 . The Guardian . 13 March 2016.
  5. Web site: Ivory Coast: Shooting at Grand Bassam beach resort . BBC News . 13 March 2016 . 13 March 2016.
  6. Web site: 18 killed in attack on Ivory Coast hotels . CNN . 14 March 2016.
  7. Web site: Gunmen Killed 14 People at a Beach Resort in Ivory Coast on Sunday . VICE News . English . 13 March 2016.
  8. Web site: The Latest: Ivory Coast Says 6 Beach Attackers 'Neutralized' . ABC News . 13 March 2016.
  9. Web site: Ivory Coast's government says that security forces have neutralized six armed men who staged attacks on three hotels in the historic town of Grand-Bassam . 13 March 2016 . U.S. News & World Report . 13 March 2016.
  10. Web site: Ivory Coast hotel shooting: Gunmen 'kill 12 including four Europeans' in Grand Bassam beach resort . Telegraph.co.uk . 13 March 2016.
  11. Web site: 12 people reportedly dead in gun attack on Ivory Coast beach resort popular with Western tourists . The Independent . English . 13 March 2016.
  12. Web site: U.S. Embassy Abidjan on Twitter . Twitter . 13 March 2016.
  13. News: Coulibaly. Loucoumane. Searcey. Dionne. 13 March 2016. 16 Killed in Terrorist Attack on Resort Hotels in Ivory Coast (Published 2016). en-US. The New York Times. 5 March 2021. 0362-4331.
  14. News: Mieu . Baudelaire . Al-Qaeda Claims Ivory Coast Attack With at Least 16 Killed . 13 March 2016 . Bloomberg Business . 13 March 2016.
  15. News: AQIM releases Grand-Bassam attackers' photos . 17 March 2016 . StarAfrica . 17 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160322070059/http://en.starafrica.com/news/aqim-releases-grand-bassam-attackers-photos.html . 22 March 2016 . dead.
  16. Web site: Al-Qaeda claims deadly Ivory Coast attack. 5 March 2021. www.aljazeera.com. en.
  17. News: Coulibaly. Loucoumane. Searcey. Dionne. 13 March 2016. 16 Killed in Terrorist Attack on Resort Hotels in Ivory Coast (Published 2016). en-US. The New York Times. 5 March 2021. 0362-4331.
  18. http://www.jeuneafrique.com/310315/politique/cote-divoire-lattentat-13-mars-a-majoritairement-frappe-ivoiriens/ Côte d’Ivoire : l’attentat de Grand-Bassam a majoritairement frappé des Ivoiriens (in French).
  19. Web site: Attentat de Grand-Bassam: une dix-neuvième victime retrouvée . LExpress.fr . 16 March 2016.
  20. Web site: I.Coast hands down four life terms for 2016 jihadist attack. rfi. 29 December 2022.
  21. http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2016/03/15/97001-20160315FILWWW00250-cote-d-ivoire-une-macedonienne-parmi-les-victimes.php Côte d'Ivoire: une Macédonienne parmi les victimes (in French)
  22. Web site: I.Coast hands down four life terms for 2016 jihadist attack. rfi. 29 December 2022.
  23. Web site: Ivory Coast steps up security following jihadist attack . BBC News . 14 March 2016.
  24. Web site: Foreign Policy CAN on Twitter . Twitter . 15 March 2016.
  25. Web site: France's Hollande denounces 'cowardly' Ivory Coast attack . Yahoo News . 13 March 2016.
  26. Web site: Côte d'Ivoire : Hollande dénonce un "lâche attentat", au moins un Français tué . Le Parisien. fr . 13 March 2016.
  27. Web site: Narendra Modi on Twitter . Twitter.
  28. Web site: PM Modi condemns multiple terror attacks in Ivory Coast, Ankara . 14 March 2016 . The Times of India.
  29. Web site: David Cameron on Twitter . Twitter . 15 March 2016.
  30. Web site: Statement by NSC Spokesperson Ned Price on the Terrorist Attack in Côte d'Ivoire . whitehouse.gov . 15 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160316083224/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/14/statement-nsc-spokesperson-ned-price-terrorist-attack-c%C3%B4te-divoire-0 . 16 March 2016 . dead.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Grand-Bassam shootings".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.