Battle of Ber (2018)
Part of Mali War
The MINUSMA camp at Ber in December 2017
Date October 27, 2018 Location Ber, Mali Result MINUSMA-Burkinabe victory
Belligerents
MINUSMA Burkina Faso	Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Strength
~100	80
Casualties and losses
2 killed 11 injured	2+ killed

The battle of Ber took place on October 27, 2018, after Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) militants attacked a MINUSMA base manned by Burkinabe soldiers in Ber, Mali.

Battle

At 5:30 am, several pickups armed with rocket launchers, machine guns, or VBIEDs, attacked the MINUSMA camp in Ber, which was defended by the 1st and 6th companies of the Badenya Battalion. ^{[1] [2]} One of the suicide-bombing vehicles made it inside the camp, killing two peacekeepers. ^[3] After reaching the base, JNIM militants attacked on foot, but were repulsed by the MINUSMA contingent. ^[2] Afterwards, the Burkinabe peacekeepers chased after the militants. ^[4]

On October 29, JNIM claimed responsibility for the attack, and claimed 80 militants were involved including two suicide bombers. ^{[5] [6]}

Aftermath

The United Nations stated that two peacekeepers were killed and several injured in the battle. The Burkinabe army corroborated this, stating two soldiers were killed and five wounded. ^{[7] [1]} A December 28, 2018 report from the UN updated the toll, stating two killed and eleven injured. ^{[8] [4]} The hospital in Ber stated that JNIM had an unknown amount of victims, including children. ^[2]

Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the head of MINUSMA, deplored the attack. ^[1]

References