Ivory Coast on Friday commemorated the 19 victims of the jihadist attack that struck the seaside town of Grand-Bassam a decade ago.
On 13 March 2016, three gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed a busy beach in the resort town, about 40 kilometres east of Abidjan, a popular destination for both locals and foreigners. The attackers then moved on to nearby hotels, unleashing a 45-minute assault before Ivorian security forces shot them dead.
The attack marked the first jihadist assault in Ivory Coast, a country that has largely avoided the violence that has plagued neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali in recent years.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the North African affiliate of Al-Qaeda.
The victims included nine Ivorians, four French citizens, and nationals of Lebanon, Germany, North Macedonia, Mali and Nigeria, while one victim could not be identified.
Speaking at the commemoration ceremony, Téné Birahima Ouattara said the attack targeted the very identity of the nation.
“This attack was not only against people,” he said. “It was against what defines the Ivorian nation: our cultural diversity, our history open to the world, our legendary hospitality and our joy of living.”
Authorities say the assault was carried out in response to anti-jihadist operations conducted in the Sahel by France and its allies. Ivory Coast was also targeted for handing over suspected AQIM operatives to Mali.
Ten men have since been sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in the attack, including six who were tried in absentia.
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