Agacher Strip War - Agacher "Christmas" War (1985)

Agacher "Christmas" War (1985)

The revolution in Burkina Faso in 1982 brought a new regime with the young Thomas Sankara determined to solve every issue including this territorial issue. The relations between the two countries were already deteriorated when Drissa Keita, a Malian diplomat in Burkina Faso, was expelled. The two presidents, Thomas Sankara and Moussa Traoré, also had strained relations for a while. Meetings between the high diplomats of both countries to discuss the territorial issue failed and radicalism started to grow. Some Burkina Faso newspapers attacked Mali and accused Mali of preparing an invasion. Mali rejected those accusations and accused Burkina Faso of escalating tensions. By 1985, both countries had experienced several years of drought. The rain finally came in late 1985, but it washed out roads and hindered distribution of food and medical supplies to the region. During this period, the Burkinabé government organized a nationwide census. The census agents visited some Fula camps in Mali which provoked outrage from the Malian government who saw it as a violation of sovereignty. There were reports of Burkina Faso ground attacks on part of the Agacher Strip since the new Burkina government considered the territory as theirs and since there was no formal contact with the Mali government. Mali President, Moussa Traoré publicly denounced the act and for ten days asked the African leaders to pressure Sankara. However, the Burkinabé didn't leave the area and tensions grew further.

On 25 December 1985, the Malian military launched several local ground attacks against Burkinabé border posts and police stations. The Burkinabé army mobilized soldiers to the region and launched counterattacks. However, the Malian army proved to be more prepared and better organized with successful attacks and several bombardments. The Malian military seized the villages and attacked further. The Burkinabé reacted, but they suffered more loss. The Libyan government attempted to negotiate a cease-fire on 26 December, but this failed and fighting continued. The war culminated in a strike by the Malian air force against a marketplace in Ouahigouya, in which a number of civilians were killed. A second cease-fire initiated by the governments of Nigeria and Libya on 29 December also failed. An ANAD-sponsored truce signed on 30 December held, bringing to an end what became known as the "Christmas War". Estimates of the number of people killed in the five-day war ranged from 59 to 300.