Attack in Côte d’Ivoire

This item appears on page 16 of the May 2016 issue.

Six men armed with automatic rifles and grenades attacked a popular tourist beach in Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire, on March 14, killing 18 people, including at least six tourists, French, German and Macedonian, and three Ivorian soldiers. Three gunmen were also killed. 

The Islamist militant group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack, making it the first incidence of Islamist terrorism in Côte d’Ivoire. AQIM also claimed responsibility for attacks at luxury hotels in Burkina Faso (January 2016) and Mali (November 2015) .