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Battle of Konna
The Battle of Konna was a battle in the Northern Mali Conflict that took place in January 2013 in the town of Konna in central Mali. Various Islamic fundamentalist rebels fought with the government of Mali, the latter of which was supported by French soldiers participating in Operation Serval. This battle was among the first French engagements in their intervention in the Mali War.
The fighting began when rebel fighters disguised as passengers on a public bus infiltrated the town. The bus was stopped at a Malian army checkpoint on the outskirts of Konna. As soldiers entered the bus to search it, the Islamists opened fire, killing the soldiers. Additional rebels then poured into the town. After several hours of fighting, the Malian army was routed to its base, abandoning the town to the rebels and reportedly leaving several heavy weapons and armored vehicles behind. Around 25 Malian soldiers were killed.
An estimated 1,200 Islamist fighters advanced to within 20 kilometers of Mopti, a Mali military garrison town.
The battle ended in a victory for the Malian government and France, with rebel fighters driven out of the town.
On January 1, 2013, Ansar Dine representatives presented two main demands to the Malian government through Burkinabe mediator President Blaise Compaoré: the proclamation of "the Islamic character of the Malian State in the constitution and autonomy for the Azawad region. The Malian government rejected these demands. Consequently, on 3 January 2013, Ansar Dine leader Iyad Ag Ghali declared an end to the ceasefire, citing the government's "bad faith".
On the 4th, Ansar Dine handed over a document to the Burkinabè mediator and president Blaise Compaoré in which he called for the autonomy of Azawad and the application of Sharia law in northern Mali. But since 2 January, from the regions of Gao and Timbuktu, the jihadist forces of Ansar Dine, Movement of Oneness and Jihad in Western Africa (MUJAO), Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Boko Haram were gathering in Bambara Maoudé. On the 7th, about fifty of their vehicles passed Douentza and positioned themselves at Dangol Boré, facing the Malian army. For added discretion, jihadist pickups avoided forming in columns, instead opting to move in wooded areas in small groups in scattered formation so as not to be signaled by plumes of smoke. The pickups were camouflaged by being covered with mud and the fighters hid under tent cloths to escape the infrared visions.
Malian forces are expected to fight in the region of Mopti. The command was provided by Colonel Major Didier Dacko. Commander Abass Dembélé headed the Malian forces of the Volunteer Commandos Group (GCV). Kassim Goïta, Gao's regiment, Elysé Daou, the National Guard and Captain Pascal Berthe, the artillery. The Malian forces consisted mainly of soldiers of the 62nd Motorized Infantry Regiment, as well as elements of the 35th Armored Regiment and the 36th Artillery Regiment. In December 2012, the newspaper Jeune Afrique reported that according to a military source more than 2,000 soldiers were present in Konna.
The number of Salafist fighters was not known precisely. Shortly before the offensive, the DGSE estimated that the jihadists were 1,500 near the demarcation line, including 300 men from AQIM to 600 from MUJAO. 30 pick-ups form the vanguard, supported by a reserve of 40 other vehicles in Douentza while 80 other pick-ups were ben detached to take part in the Battle of Diabaly. Malian services estimated the jihadist forces at about 5,000 men. According to a report from the French Senate on 23 April 2013, 1,500 to 3,000 jihadists were mobilized for the offensives in southern Mali. The strength of the Salafist rebels was initially estimated at 1,200 men according to RFI and Al Jazeera. On the night of 9 January to 10 January, a teacher near Dangol-Boré said he had counted more than 300 jihadist vehicles. To the reporter Jean-Paul Mari, the assailants initially gathered 70 vehicles around Bambara Maoudé then engaged 150, including 70 from Ansar Dine in the assault on Konna. For Laurent Touchard, the jihadist forces gathered north of the demarcation line were 1,500 to 2,500 men with 300 vehicles. Their forces were made up of some of the most seasoned and well-equipped combatants, with recruits usually left behind to hold the cities.
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Battle of Konna
The Battle of Konna was a battle in the Northern Mali Conflict that took place in January 2013 in the town of Konna in central Mali. Various Islamic fundamentalist rebels fought with the government of Mali, the latter of which was supported by French soldiers participating in Operation Serval. This battle was among the first French engagements in their intervention in the Mali War.
The fighting began when rebel fighters disguised as passengers on a public bus infiltrated the town. The bus was stopped at a Malian army checkpoint on the outskirts of Konna. As soldiers entered the bus to search it, the Islamists opened fire, killing the soldiers. Additional rebels then poured into the town. After several hours of fighting, the Malian army was routed to its base, abandoning the town to the rebels and reportedly leaving several heavy weapons and armored vehicles behind. Around 25 Malian soldiers were killed.
An estimated 1,200 Islamist fighters advanced to within 20 kilometers of Mopti, a Mali military garrison town.
The battle ended in a victory for the Malian government and France, with rebel fighters driven out of the town.
On January 1, 2013, Ansar Dine representatives presented two main demands to the Malian government through Burkinabe mediator President Blaise Compaoré: the proclamation of "the Islamic character of the Malian State in the constitution and autonomy for the Azawad region. The Malian government rejected these demands. Consequently, on 3 January 2013, Ansar Dine leader Iyad Ag Ghali declared an end to the ceasefire, citing the government's "bad faith".
On the 4th, Ansar Dine handed over a document to the Burkinabè mediator and president Blaise Compaoré in which he called for the autonomy of Azawad and the application of Sharia law in northern Mali. But since 2 January, from the regions of Gao and Timbuktu, the jihadist forces of Ansar Dine, Movement of Oneness and Jihad in Western Africa (MUJAO), Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Boko Haram were gathering in Bambara Maoudé. On the 7th, about fifty of their vehicles passed Douentza and positioned themselves at Dangol Boré, facing the Malian army. For added discretion, jihadist pickups avoided forming in columns, instead opting to move in wooded areas in small groups in scattered formation so as not to be signaled by plumes of smoke. The pickups were camouflaged by being covered with mud and the fighters hid under tent cloths to escape the infrared visions.
Malian forces are expected to fight in the region of Mopti. The command was provided by Colonel Major Didier Dacko. Commander Abass Dembélé headed the Malian forces of the Volunteer Commandos Group (GCV). Kassim Goïta, Gao's regiment, Elysé Daou, the National Guard and Captain Pascal Berthe, the artillery. The Malian forces consisted mainly of soldiers of the 62nd Motorized Infantry Regiment, as well as elements of the 35th Armored Regiment and the 36th Artillery Regiment. In December 2012, the newspaper Jeune Afrique reported that according to a military source more than 2,000 soldiers were present in Konna.
The number of Salafist fighters was not known precisely. Shortly before the offensive, the DGSE estimated that the jihadists were 1,500 near the demarcation line, including 300 men from AQIM to 600 from MUJAO. 30 pick-ups form the vanguard, supported by a reserve of 40 other vehicles in Douentza while 80 other pick-ups were ben detached to take part in the Battle of Diabaly. Malian services estimated the jihadist forces at about 5,000 men. According to a report from the French Senate on 23 April 2013, 1,500 to 3,000 jihadists were mobilized for the offensives in southern Mali. The strength of the Salafist rebels was initially estimated at 1,200 men according to RFI and Al Jazeera. On the night of 9 January to 10 January, a teacher near Dangol-Boré said he had counted more than 300 jihadist vehicles. To the reporter Jean-Paul Mari, the assailants initially gathered 70 vehicles around Bambara Maoudé then engaged 150, including 70 from Ansar Dine in the assault on Konna. For Laurent Touchard, the jihadist forces gathered north of the demarcation line were 1,500 to 2,500 men with 300 vehicles. Their forces were made up of some of the most seasoned and well-equipped combatants, with recruits usually left behind to hold the cities.