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Grand-Bassam, about 40 kilometers from Abidjan, became the scene of the first major terrorist attack in the Ivory Coast. On March 13, 2016, 19 people were killed there and another 33 were injured. In December 2022, four men were sentenced to life in prison by the courts for aiding and abetting terrorists. The alleged masterminds of the attack were convicted of absenteeism. But the trial failed to shed any real light on the bombing.
Grand-Bassam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to a huge beach on the Atlantic Ocean that is very popular with tourists, both expats and Ivorians. On that fateful day in 2016, three Kalashnikov-wielding assailants opened fire on the beach and then at hotels along the coast. The horror went on for 45 minutes before Ivorian special forces finally shot the gunmen dead.
The attack was claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). A few months earlier, the Ivory Coast had arrested jihadists from the group and handed them over to Mali. The Grand-Bassam attack was likely revenge for the country’s cooperation with France in anti-jihadist operations in the broader Sahel region.
Sophie Lamotte and Sadia Mandjo of France 24 report from Grand-Bassam.
