On Monday, Ivory Coast is marking the first anniversary of the Grand Bassam attack on March 13, 2015, when at least 19 people died. FOLLOW USTwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramIvorian President Alassane Ouattara is expected to lead the country in commemorating the heinous attack on beach-goers by al-Qaeda militants, reports Africa News. Armed with grenades and assault rifles, three Islamic militants stormed Grand Bassam, a small coastal town located 40 kilometers east of the country’s commercial Abidjan, and started spraying innocent civilians with bullets. French InterventionSince 2013, French troops have assisted in the fight against AQIM in Mali, Burkina Faso, and other countries in the Sahel region. The mission, dubbed “Operation Serval,” has helped Mali reclaim territories seized by Islamist and separatist rebels between 2013 and 2014.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 13, 2017 15:00 UTC