ConflictBarometer_2016

MIDDLE EAST AND MAGHREB
(ANP) remained limited. Military operations against the insurgents
accounted for most of the violent measures this year.
ANP soldiers claimed to have killed at least 21 Islamist militants
between January and March, mainly in the provinces
of Ain Defla, Tizi Ouzou, and Tipaza. On March 18, AQIM
members launched a rocket attack on the gas plantation in
Kherichba, Tamanrasset province. No damage or casualties
were reported. The group declared that the attack was a response
to Algeria's military cooperation with France in northern
Mali. On May 7, one ANP soldier was killed and a dozen
wounded by the explosions of three roadside bombs in the
surroundings of the city of Jijel, eponymous province. In the
previous week, ANP had conducted several operations targeting
AQIM fighters in the neighboring province of Skikda.
During a ten-day long military operation in June, ANP killed
23 AQIM militants in the provinces of Médéa and Jijel. In the
following months until December, the APNA killed at least
16 more insurgents in seven different provinces in the north,
while no deaths were reported on ANP's side. (ala)
TUNISIA
Throughout the year, Tunisia remained under the state of
emergency that had first been declared on 11/24/15 and
was extended several times, most recently on October 18.
Several violent clashes between Islamist militants and security
forces resulted in deaths and injuries on both sides. For
instance, on February 1, police conducted a counter-terrorism
operation near the city of Tounine, southern Gabes region. At
least two militants and one policeman were injured in the
erupting firefight. A month later, security forces carried out
another operation in Ain Jaffel area between the cities of
Sbeitla, Kasserine Governorate, and Jelma, Sidi Bouzid Governorate,
killing four suspected militants and seizing light
weapons, including AK-47 rifles and ammunition. On July 22,
the Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade claimed to be responsible for an
attack, which resulted in the death of a soldier at Mount Sammama,
Kasserine. On August 29, in the same area, members
of the Uqba ibn Nafri Brigade opened fire with rifles and RPGs
on soldiers, after their patrol had hit a landmine. Three soldiers
were killed and seven wounded. Two days later, police
conducted a raid in Karma town, Kasserine, and clashed with
alleged militants, which resulted in the death of two militants
and one civilian. In addition, police seized arms and an explosive
belt. On December 29, security forces stated that they
broke up another AQIM-linked cell consisting of ten people
in Sousse, eponymous governorate. (wih)
MALI
In late June, the UNSC authorized the deployment of 2,500
additional troops to MINUSMA, increasing its total strength to
more than 10,000 personnel [→ CMA et al. (Azawad)]. In an interview
on January 9, AQIM emir Yahya Abou Houmam stated
that AQIM coordinated its operations with Macina Liberation
Front (MLF) and Ansar al-Din. Moreover, he claimed that relations
with al-Mourabitoun's Abou Walid Sahraoui branch
were ''normal,'' despite the latter having vowed allegiance
to the so-called Islamic State (IS) in May 2015. Compared
to the previous year, the death toll decreased significantly,
accounting for at least 80 people.
On January 21, suspected MLF fighters killed at least three
Malian gendarmes near the town of Mopti, eponymous region.
On February 5, AQIM militants occupied a UN police
base in Timbuktu, Timbuktu region, for several hours after
they had detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive
device (VBIED) close to the base. Malian soldiers supported
by UN helicopters recaptured the facility, whereby one Malian
soldier and three jihadist fighters were killed while another
one blew himself up. One week later, Ansar al-Din attacked a
UN camp in Kidal, eponymous region, using rocket launchers
and VBIEDs, killing at least six peace-keepers as well as three
Malian soldiers and wounding another 30.
On March 1, forces of the French ''Operation Barkhane'' killed
AQIM commander Abu al-Nur al-Andalusi 180 km north of
Timbuktu. On March 28, Ansar al-Din targeted an armored
vehicle of the army traveling from Idouinza to Timbuktu with
a landmine explosion, killing four soldiers. On April 13, five
MLF forces were killed when they attacked a Malian army post
in Boni, Mopti region. Also in April, in a joint military operation,
Malian soldiers and French forces killed an unspecified
number of alleged Islamist fighters, arrested another five, and
seized arms as well as ammunition in Gao region close to the
Mauritanian border. Ansar al-Din claimed responsibility for a
landmine explosion and subsequent heavy gunfire targeting
a UN convoy in Aguelhok, Kidal region, on May 18, which left
five peace-keepers dead and three injured. On May 31, AQIM
undertook two separate attacks against UN personnel in Gao,
eponymous region, killing one peace-keeper as well as an
international expert and injuring two security guards.
On July 19, MLF as well as a new group called National Alliance
for the Safeguarding of Peul Identity and the Restoration
of Justice (ANSIPRJ) claimed responsibility for a largescale
attack against a Malian military base near Nampala,
Ségou region, close to the border with Mauritania, which left
17 soldiers dead and 35 wounded. Later this year, ANSIPRJ
announced to abandon the armed struggle and join the national
peace process. On August 7, Ansar al-Din conducted
three attacks in the regions of Kidal and Mopti, leaving two
persons dead. On September 2, supposed Ansar al-Din fighters
took control of Boni for several hours, shooting at administrative
buildings and setting fire on the mayor's office. The
army supported by MINUSMA subsequently recaptured the
town, while the Islamists escaped. On October 3, Ansar al-Din
attacked the MINUSMA camp in Aguelhok, using mortars as
well as IEDs, killing two peace-keepers, and injuring seven. A
mine blast claimed by Ansar al-Din killed one French soldier
traveling in a convoy 60 km from Kidal on November 5. The
group also claimed responsibility for an attack in Banamba,
Koulikoro region, two days later, in which 21 inmates were
freed from the local prison. Another jailbreak occurred on
December 5 in Niono, Ségou, in which around 100 prisoners
were liberated. MLF later claimed responsibility and said it
had killed two guards.
Throughout the year, several high-ranking members of Islamist
groups were arrested. (bkm)
BURKINA FASO, NIGER, AND CÔTE D'IVOIRE
Further attacks in Western Africa were staged in Burkina Faso,
Niger, and Côte d'Ivoire, while the latter two countries were
confronted with Islamist violence for the first time.
In Burkina Faso, AQIM and al-Mourabitoun gunmen jointly
attacked two hotels as well as a restaurant in the capital Ouagadougou
on January 15. The attackers took more than 170
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