April 2013 Kidal Attack

On 12 April 2013, four Chadian soldiers were killed and five civilians were injured in a suicide bombing attack in Kidal, Mali, attributed to the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA). The attack occurred against a backdrop of ongoing military operations in the region, where Chadian and French troops had occupied Kidal since early February 2013, using the city as a base to counter jihadist forces in the nearby Adrar des Ifoghas mountains. Days before the attack, on 5 April, Chadian forces had withdrawn from the mountains following the conclusion of Operation Panther, returning to their main base near Kidal and bringing troop numbers there to 1,800.

The attack took place on a Friday morning as a group of Chadian soldiers went to the local market to buy supplies. At approximately 9:50 am, eyewitnesses reported that a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near a market stall as the soldiers passed, killing three soldiers instantly and severely wounding four others. The blast occurred on a street commonly used by Chadian soldiers, roughly 100 meters from the town's main market. Witnesses stated that a first bomber was reportedly neutralized before detonating, while a second bomber succeeded, causing damage to part of the market and injuring five bystanders. However, Chadian and Mouvement National de Libération de l'Azawad (MNLA) authorities maintained that only one suicide bomber was involved in the attack.

Following the explosion, Chadian soldiers fired automatic weapons into the air in an attempt to disperse the gathering crowd. According to Kidal's deputy mayor, Abda Ag Kazina, four soldiers were in critical condition following the blast. Authorities subsequently established checkpoints at the four main entrances to Kidal out of concern that additional suicide bombers could infiltrate the city. A Chadian security source stated the same day that MOJWA was responsible for the attack. Some residents reported that Chadian soldiers, in a state of fear after the bombing, fired live ammunition that injured five civilian bystanders.

One of the four wounded soldiers died overnight at a hospital in Gao, bringing the death toll to four. The three other injured soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital in Bamako, where officials stated they were not in life-threatening condition. The same day, a man identified as Sidi Amar Ould Algor, described as holding the rank of colonel within the MNLA, was arrested by Chadian soldiers in connection with the bombing; he reportedly admitted to owning the vehicle that transported the bomber to the market. His arrest reportedly raised tensions, as the MNLA had not authorized Chadian forces to take custody of one of its members.

Separately on the same day, a Chadian Air Force helicopter crashed approximately 50 km northeast of Sévaré, Mali, killing all five occupants aboard, including a senior military officer. Two days after the market attack, Chadian President Idriss Déby announced that Chad would withdraw its troops from the region, citing the jihadists' guerrilla tactics.