Cote d'ivoire: Aqim Expands its Reach in West Africa
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 18 March 2016 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 6 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Cote d'ivoire: Aqim Expands its Reach in West Africa, 18 March 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 6, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56f162354.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Link to original story on Jamestown website
Heavily armed gunmen opened fire on residents and visitors at the luxury L'Etoile du Sud Hotel in Grand Bassam, a coastal resort town in Côte d'Ivoire, on March 13. The gunmen killed at least 16 people - 14 civilians and two members of the security forces - according to officials, although at the time of writing the exact toll appears to remain disputed, with some putting the number at 18 (Jeune Afrique, March 13). Three attackers were also killed, though initial reports had said six. Early reports from AFP also said one attacker had been overheard shouting "Allahu Akbar" (AFP, March 13), while Reuters later reported the men had all consumed beer at a beachside bar before mounting their assault (Reuters, March 15). Amid this confused picture, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed credit for the attack, saying that three "heroes" had stormed the hotel. Efforts are now under way by the Ivorian authorities to identify the attackers (La Dépêche d'Abijan, March 15).
Grand Bassam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the one-time colonial capital of Cote d'Ivoire, is the location for several hotels popular with wealthy Ivorians and expatriates. The attack is reminiscent of those on the Radisson Blu in the Malian capital of Bamako in November last year, and in Burkina Faso in January. Both of those attacks were claimed by AQIM. Since the Bamako attack, security in cities across West Africa has been heightened. French intelligence agencies had reportedly warned that both Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal were possible targets (Bloomberg, January 19), though neither country has a history of Islamic extremism.
In fact, the Grand Bassam attack is the first of its kind in Cote d'Ivoire, a worrying development as AQIM seeks to expand both the geographic reach and the profile of its operations in the region (See Terrorism Monitor for more discussion on this point).
Senegal, which quickly condemned the Cote d'Ivoire attack (Dakar Matin, March 13), will now being closely examining its own domestic security setup. Like Cote d'Ivoire, it maintains strong links to France and contributes troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), making it a potential target for an ambitious and resurgent AQIM.
