On 13 March 2016, three gunmen opened fire at a beach on Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast. They attacked the Étoile du Sud hotel which was occupied at the time.[1] 19 people were killed. Thirty-three people were injured.[2][3][4]
It had been the third attack on a tourism resort in West Africa for four months.[5][6]
Attack
The attack started when three armed assailants attacked the Étoile du Sud hotel.[7] Agence France-Presse writes that it was occupied by numerous expatriates at the time.[8] According to officials, 15 civilians and three special forces soldiers were killed.[9] The attackers were described as Africans. The had grenade belts and Kalashnikov rifles. They were dressed in casual clothes and balaclavas.[10]
A shootout started between the attackers and police when the assailants reached the La Paillote Hotel. Army personnel evacuated local residents and tourists from the beach to nearby hotels.[11] The hotels were placed on lockdown by that time.[12]
Government officials as said that security forces had killed six armed men.[13][14] The terrorists shouted "Allahu Akbar".[15]
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".[16][17] French authorities had warned Ivory Coast and Senegal weeks earlier of the danger of a terrorist attack.[18]
After the attack
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack.[19] 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" on 17 March.[20]
Reactions
Domestic
- President Alassane Ouattara: "These cowardly attacks by terrorists will not be tolerated".[21]
International
Canada: Global Affairs Canada: "Canada condemns the terrorist attack at Grand-Bassam beach resort in Côte d'Ivoire. Our thoughts and prayers are with you." [22]
India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the injured a speedy recovery.[23][24]
United Kingdom: 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."[25]
United States: In a statement by the National Security Council of the White House, the U.S. condemned the terrorist attack in Grand-Bassam. t also commended "the bravery of the Ivorian and French security personnel who responded to the situation and prevented even worse loss of life."[26]
References
