2023 Farabougou attack

2023 Farabougou attack
Part of Mali War
Date December 12, 2023 2pm-5pm Location Farabougou, Niono Cercle, Mali 14°46′54″N 6°14′3″W Result Katiba Macina victory
Belligerents
Mali Local dozo hunters	Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin Katiba Macina
Casualties and losses
30–62 killed 15 injured 2–3 kidnapped	Unknown
Unknown number of civilians killed and kidnapped

On December 12, 2023, jihadist militants from Katiba Macina, an affiliate of the al-Qaeda aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), attacked Malian forces in the town of Farabougou. The attack killed dozens of Malian soldiers and was the first major raid in the town by JNIM since the Siege of Farabougou in 2020.

Background

Main article: Siege of Farabougou

In October 2020, Katiba Macina besieged the village of Farabougou near the town of Sokolo, Ségou Region, Mali, starving thousands of people who lived in the village and cutting off access for weeks. JNIM and local dozo hunters signed a peace treaty in March 2021 after the siege was lifted by Malian troops led by Assimi Goita. In the peace agreement, JNIM would leave the residents of Farabougou alone if the residents paid taxes toward JNIM. This agreement was broken in 2022 when Malian troops settled in the town.

Attack

Between 2 and 3pm on December 12, Katiba Macina fighters raided the town of Farabougou. The Malian detachment present in the town was caught off guard and quickly defeated by the jihadists. Pro-government dozo hunters were then targeted by the jihadists. Katiba Macina militants seized control of the Malian base in the town, who burned the fort to the ground and destroyed any vehicles they couldn't loot.

Most residents fled Farabougou during the fighting. One resident speaking to Reuters stated that the jihadists kidnapped some residents and killed others. Katiba Macina withdrew from the village at 5pm, and Malian military reinforcements from Sokolo arrived later that evening to a deserted village. The Malian military released a statement claiming to have repelled the attack, although witness testimony disproved this.

Aftermath

The Malian military did not report any casualties following the attack. RFI, citing residents, stated fifty people were killed. Twenty soldiers and twenty dozos were killed, and fifteen others were injured. Other residents put the death toll at over sixty people killed including soldiers and civilians. JNIM claimed responsibility for the attack, and they claimed to have killed thirty soldiers and captured three hostages. JNIM later released a photography of a hostage Malian lieutenant and a corporal. In the second statement, JNIM proposed a prisoner exchange with the Malian government.