Chadian Intervention in Northern Mali

Chadian Intervention in Mali
Part of the Northern Mali conflict
Date January 2013 - ongoing Location Northern Mali Status Indecisive Chadian Forces planned withdrawal from Mali by April
Belligerents
Chad	AQIM MUJAO
Commanders and leaders
Idriss Déby Itno Mahamat Déby Itno Abdel Aziz Hassane Adam† Omar Bikimo	Abdelhamid Abou Zeïd † Mokhtar Belmokhtar†(?)
Strength
2,250 men 240 vehicles	unknown
Casualties and losses
36 killed, 74 wounded	~125 killed

Indecisive

On 18 January 2013, the Republic of Chad announced its intent to deploy 2,000 troops: one infantry regiment with 1,200 soldiers and two support battalions with 800 soldiers, into Mali as part of the international campaign against Islamist insurgents. The Chadian forces were not part of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali but integrated into an existing French command structure. The same day the arrival of the Chadian army in Niamey was confirmed.

Backed by technicals and Eland-90 armoured cars, Chadian forces entered Mali via Niger, securing the former Islamist town of Ménaka on 28 January. According to a statement by the French Ministry of Defense, Chadian forces left their base in Ménaka and headed towards the north of the country in support of Malian armed forces in the area.

On 31 January, some 1,800 Chadian soldiers entered the city of Kidal without resistance, as French forces captured the outskirts of the city a few days prior to the formal capture. The Chadian army contributed to the security of the city, currently held by the MNLA.

On 7 February, in the evening Chadian and French forces entered the town of Aguelhok.

On 8 February, French and Chadian forces announced they captured the town of Tessalit near the Algerian border, the seat of one of the last airports still held by insurgents.

On 12 February, according to numerous sources, a Chadian soldier succumbed to an illness, marking the first death since the Chadian intervention began in late January.

On 22 February, supported by French fighters, the Chadian army launched a joint military operation with the support of French war jets on an Islamists base said to be of "significant importance", where 8 French hostages were believed to be held along with caches of heavy weaponry, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and mines were said to be hidden in the mountains of the Adrar des Ifoghas. By the end of the day, the mission was considered to be a success with 93 Islamists killed or captured, but leaving 26 Chadian soldiers dead and 52 others severely wounded, the dead included several high-ranking Chadian commanders in Mali, including special forces commander Abdel Aziz Hassane Adam.

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Wikipedia