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Burkinabè units in MINUSMA

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Soldiers of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces were deployed in United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) between 2013 and 2023. During the mission, Burkinabe forces were the largest contributor to the mission, and often belonged to the best elements of the Burkinabe army.[1][2]

Badenya Battalion

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Badenya Battalion units in Ber, circa January 2017

The Badenya Battalion, meaning brotherhood in Bambara, was deployed in Timbuktu and Ber, and is sometimes called BFA BAT 1.[3] The Badenya Battalion was first deployed in Diabaly as part of African-led International Support Mission to Mali (MISMA), the predecessor to MINUSMA, but then deployed to Gao and Timbuktu following MINUSMA's creation.[4] Until 2017, the protection of the Timbuktu Airport was the battalion's main priority. They were replaced in 2017 by an Ivorian infantry company, although Burkinabe units defended the entrance to the nearby MINUSMA super camp.[5] In 2018, the Badenya Battalion defended the camp and airport from jihadists during the 2018 Timbuktu attack at the camp.[6]

The Badenya battalion was also responsible for securing and defending a large number of MINUSMA supply convoys across Mali, and defended the MINUSMA base in Ber in 2018.[7] In 2015, during a supply mission, the battalion was the target of jihadists in an ambush near Takoumbaout.[8][9]

Battalion Name Dates Active Corps commander Size Number of killed soldiers
Badenya 1 January 2013 - February 2014 Jules Bationo 850 2[4]
Badenya 2 January 2014 - February 2015 Yves Patrick Ouedraogo 850 5[9]
Badenya 3 January 2015[10] - February 2016[11] Giles Bationo[12] 850[10] 6[8]
Badenya 4 January 2016 - January 2017[13] Cheick Alain Kabore 850 None
Badenya 5 January 2017 - January 2018 6[14][15]
Badenya 6 January 2018 - January 2019 Elie Tarpaga, Cyprien Kabore[16][17] 850[16] 3[6][7]
Badenya 7 January 2019[2]

The Badenya Battalion's mandate was not renewed in January 2019, and the soldiers and their equipment were transferred to the Gondaal Battalion.[5] Many Badenya soldiers were transferred back home to fight the growing jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.[18]

Gondaal Battalion

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Gondaal Battalion units in Goundam, circa 2015

The Gondaal Battalion, meaning "good understanding" in Fulfulde, was deployed in Diabaly from 2015 to 2023, with detachments in Léré and Goundam.[19][3] It is sometimes referred to as BFA BAT 2.[3] In September 2017, the Lere camp was transferred to the control of Malian forces from G5 Sahel.[20] The Gondaal Battalion had 850 soldiers from 2015 to 2018.[21]

Other units and equipment

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In June 2016, 140 gendarmes were transferred to Gao under the command of Kanou Coulibaly within the 31st Peacekeeping Squadron, and were replaced by 140 new gendarmes in June 2017.[22][23] A Burkinabe officer within MINUSMA committed suicide at his office in Gao on March 3, 2017.[24]

The Badenya's platoons are equipped with Serbian Zastava M70 assault rifles and Zastava M84 machine guns as well as RPG-7 rocket launchers. They are also equipped with DShK and ZPU-2 heavy machine guns and 81mm and 120mm mortars. The company is motorized on Toyota Land Cruiser pick-ups, Ural-4320 trucks, and 30 ACMAT Bastion personnel carriers. Due to constant movement, the equipment wears out quickly.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Le Burkina Faso veut retirer ses casques bleus du Darfour". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  2. ^ a b Koueta, Oui (2018-12-20). "Le bataillon Badenya 7 répond à l'appel". Burkina24.com - Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h/24 (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  3. ^ a b c "La MINUSMA déploie un nouveau bataillon à Diabaly" (PDF). MINUSMA Hebdo. August 4, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Crise au Mali : Le bataillon Badenya 1 est de retour - leFaso.net". lefaso.net (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  5. ^ a b c Defensa.com (2019-11-28). "El batallón de infantería "Badenya" de Burkina Faso en Mali - Noticias Defensa En abierto". Defensa.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  6. ^ a b "bulletin hebdomadaire d information de la MINUSMA numéro 112 mai PDF Free Download". docplayer.fr. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  7. ^ a b "Tombouctou : Cérémonie d'hommage aux deux Casques bleus Burkinabé tombés à Ber". kibaru.ml (in French). 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  8. ^ a b "Mali: 6 Casques bleus burkinabè tués dans une nouvelle attaque dans le nord". Maliactu. July 2, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Drabo, Colette (February 12, 2015). "La nation reconnaisante envers 850 soldats". Le Pays. p. 5. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Paix au Mali: le déploiement du bataillon Badenya 3 a commencé". aOuaga.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  11. ^ "Maintien de la paix : le bataillon Badenya 4 prêt pour le Mali". aOuaga.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  12. ^ "Au Burkina Faso, vague de nomination à la tête des forces armées". RFI (in French). 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  13. ^ "Mission onusienne de stabilisation au Mali : Le Bataillon Badénya 4 de retour". abamako.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  14. ^ B24, Rédaction (2017-10-11). "Burkina : Le bataillon Badenya 5 perd un de ses soldats". Burkina24.com - Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h/24 (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ B24, Rédaction (2017-05-15). "Mali : Un soldat burkinabè blessé à Tombouctou". Burkina24.com - Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h/24 (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ a b Faso, Aujourd'hui au (2017-11-26). "Forces armées nationales: Badenya 6, prêt à être déployé". Aujourd'hui au Faso (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  17. ^ "Attaque de la MINUSMA : Le repos éternel du Combattant Caporal Ibrahim Yaméogo - leFaso.net". lefaso.net (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  18. ^ "Tackling Burkina Faso's Insurgencies and Unrest | Crisis Group". www.crisisgroup.org. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  19. ^ "850 soldats burkinabè bientôt au front au Mali". aOuaga.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  20. ^ "Mali: les forces maliennes se réimplantent dans la zone de Léré". RFI. September 8, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  21. ^ NABOLE, Ignace Ismaël (2016-07-01). "Gondaal II : 850 " ambassadeurs " burkinabè pour le maintien de la paix au Mali". Burkina24.com - Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h/24 (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  22. ^ "Maintien de la paix: 140 gendarmes burkinabè attendus les 20, 22 et 23 juin au nord du Mali". aOuaga.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  23. ^ KOACI. "KOACI". KOACI (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  24. ^ "Mali/Gao: un casque bleu retrouvé mort dans son bureau". sahelien.com (in French). 2017-03-04. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
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