Fourth Battle of Gao

Overview

The Fourth Battle of Gao was fought in the city of Gao on 20–22 February 2013, during the Northern Mali Conflict. It was an attempt by rebel MOJWA forces to retake the city. The attempt was repelled by Malian government forces with the support of troops from France and Niger.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Fourth Battle of Gao represented MOJWA's second major attempt to retake the city following its earlier fall to Malian and allied forces during Operation Serval. The repulsion of the assault by Malian government forces, supported by French and Nigerien troops, demonstrated that the multinational intervention could hold key urban centers against insurgent counter-offensives. Gao, as a principal city in northern Mali, carried strategic weight for both government control and rebel legitimacy in the region. Sustaining its defense reinforced the operational momentum of the Franco-Malian campaign and denied MOJWA a symbolic and logistical foothold in the north.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)