Wüstenschiff

At least 12 people have been killed after armed men launched a gun attack on three hotels at an Ivory Coast beach resort, officials said. The attack took place in the southeastern town of Grand Bassam which is located about 40 km east of the country's economic capital, Abidjan. An officer from the national police told Reuters news agency that at least 12 people were feared dead. "For the moment, we have a total of 12 dead, including four Europeans," the officer told security forces during a briefing. The Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said that security forces "neutralised six terrorists". "Three hotels in Grand Bassam were attacked this Sunday by armed men,"Bakayoko said on state television [...] The historic town of Grand Bassam is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Al-Qaeda-linked militants have killed at least 16 people in a gun attack on a beach resort in southern Ivory Coast. The attackers fired on beach-goers in Grand Bassam, about 40km (25 miles) from the commercial capital Abidjan. The resort is popular with both locals and foreigners. Four of the dead were Westerners, including a French and a German national, officials say. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed the attack. The gunmen have been "neutralised", officials say [...] The attack confirms the fears of the Ivorian government, which has attempted to beef up security, particularly in its northern border regions, to keep Islamist militants out. Grand Bassam is all the way to the south on the Atlantic coast, though. That shows that the militants have not just crossed the border but they might have even have a greater presence in the country. It furthers prove the capacity of jihadists to blend into the public and strike soft targets. This threat is spreading across West Africa. To halt it, regional governments would need to step up their act in policing, as well as gathering and acting on intelligence individually and collectively [...] A witness to Sunday's attack told AFP news agency that "heavily armed men wearing balaclavas" had opened fire...

Der dritte große Angriff islamistischer Terroristen in der Region innerhalb von vier Monaten lässt Konsequenzen für die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und politische Stabilität Westafrikas befürchten [...] Zu diesem letzten Anschlag bekannte sich die „Organisation al-Qaida des Islamischen Maghreb“ (AQIM). Das Bekennerschreiben wird von internationalen Sicherheitsexperten vor Ort als glaubwürdig eingestuft. Um diese Zunahme wie auch die regionale Streuung solcher Attacken einordnen zu können, lohnt sich ein kurzer Blick auf die Entstehung der aktuell existenten Strukturen terroristischer Organisationen [...] Spätestens nach den schrecklichen Anschlägen in Mali und Burkina Faso war klar, dass auch die anderen Länder Westafrikas sich nicht in Sicherheit vor gewaltbereiten Islamisten wähnen können [...] Dass der Angriff nun in Grand Bassam stattfand, 40 Kilometer von Abidjan entfernt, politisch nicht relevant, dafür als Wochenendausflugsort bei Ausländern und wohlhabenden Ivorern beliebt, spricht für eine präzise Lagebeurteilung seitens der Täter im Vorfeld der Attacke. Die Côte d’Ivoire, nach Jahren des Bürgerkriegs und der Instabilität auf dem Weg wirtschaftlicher Konsolidierung, hofft, erneut zum wirtschaftlichen Zentrum der Region werden zu können. Die Einwerbung ausländischer Investitionen und auch die Belebung des Tourismus stehen weit oben auf der Wunschliste ivorischer Politik. Angriffe wie diese haben durchaus das Potential, positive Impulse entscheidend zu hemmen und die Volkswirtschaft empfindlich zu treffen ...

Ivorian musicians have collaborated to release a song saying they are "not afraid" after Islamist militants killed 19 people on a beach [...] The song "Même Pas Peur", meaning not a bit afraid, was filmed on Grand Bassam beach, where the gunmen opened fire. The lyrics, sung in French, include the lines "you kill innocents for lost causes" and "you won't go to paradise". The defiant lyrics insist "in Ivory Coast, we're on our feet". Some lyrics are directed at the militants including: "What are you doing on the beaches? Because of 70 virgins, you kill innocent people. "In the name of God, you there, you won't go to paradise". And some are critical of the AQIM's interpretation of Islam, arguing "Islam is a religion that promotes love, you kill innocents for lost causes". The song's producer Chico Lacoste told the BBC that he decided to make a song to "tell the whole world that: 'Yes it's true that Ivory Coast has been hit but we have not fallen down'".