On March 13, 2016, a terrorist attack left more than twenty dead in the seaside resort of Grand-Bassam in Côte d’Ivoire, located about forty kilometers from Abidjan. Armed men appeared on the beach and shot at holidaymakers. If life is resumed in Bassam, this attack strongly marked the city, its inhabitants and the tourism sector.
From our special envoys to Grand-Bassam,
“We will not forget this day, that’s for sure. We forget details, but this day is quite important, ”testifies Patrick Colin. He owns a hotel restaurant that opens directly onto Bassam Beach, a small corner of paradise called La Nouvelle Paillote. There are more than a dozen businesses like him along the sea, a popular spot for neighboring Abidjanis, especially on weekends.
That day, March 13, 2016, it was a Sunday and the establishments were full just like the Wharf of Alhassan Ouattara: “On March 13, I was at my hotel, where there were almost 400 people. When we heard the shots, it was a rush. My luck is that my beach is a little far from the bedrooms. So we took the time to secure all the people who were on the beach in the rooms. We managed to save many people. ”
The terrorists, three men, had arrived a few minutes before and were installed on the terrace of a café about ten meters from the Alhassan Ouattara hotel: “They ordered a drink and afterwards they went straight to the South Star, then they went up the beach to Madrague , where they were met by a guard with a Kalashnikov. Their comrade was wounded, so they killed him. They came down and walked past our house, but everyone was hidden and they arrived at La Paillote. ”
«They had weapons, we could see they were not fishing rods»
The terrorists are then with Patrick Colin, and if he was able to hide a large part of his clients, others are still within reach of the two men’s arms: “The shots rose and there was a moment of hesitation. People were not sure what to do. I saw the two guys come up. They went, they had weapons, we could see they were not fishing rods. When the first one arrived, he started firing. ”
Patrick then recounts the minutes that this attack lasted. The sound of detonations, the calm of the terrorists, the scared people who are silent, the wounded and first aid while the shots continue from the side of the pool. All this time, the two armed men in the company are circulating. “But at no point did they get into the walls. At no point did they try to enter the buildings as they needed to know that there were people hidden inside. When they fired everywhere, they knew the commands were coming. They waited for them and they got in position. And then came the attack from the special forces. There was a commitment and the two terrorists were killed, “said Patrick Colin.
In the kitchens, where a large number of people have gathered, people are shocked like Rodolphe, the chef: “We were at work, it was lunchtime, we got dishes out, we heard fire. We wondered if it was an elevator. They arrived right after, the boss asked everyone to hide. I ran away. I hid. Afterwards I was traumatized, I had never seen that. ”
After the attack, stupor dominates Grand-Bassam. No one had seen anything coming, entrusting their inhabitants. Although Patrick Colin later thought there was something in the air. “There were warning signs, there were presence. I have lived here for a long time, I move around a lot and there were people who had come but who were not in their usual place and who disappeared after that. There was a strange climate. ”
The investigation began immediately after the attack by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqmi). Several people have been arrested in connection with this case in several countries, especially in Mali. In Côte d’Ivoire, two soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison for complicity in August 2016. But the sponsors have not yet been arrested.
A stele for the victims
In Grand-Bassam resumed life, a stele was erected in memory of the victims at the entrance to the historic district. And the scars from the attack were to be erased. “It was a big stop,” explains Patrick Colin. I mostly deleted the influences, I had 280 bullet holes in my business. I took it all off. For three months I got a new look. “
Same feeling for Alhassan Ouattaradu Wharf, who adds that the tracks left are not just physical: “It was not a stop, it was a massacre. Because you need to know that we spent a year without working. A year before the first tourists had the courage to return. During all this time, there has not been a fly here. And even today, we in Grand-Bassam continue to pull out this shortcoming in the attack. ”
Still, he assures that her action has been taken and security has been tightened: “I do not think there is a city as safe as Bassam today. There are patrols everywhere. So originally it was law enforcement in uniform, but we told them it scared the customers a little bit. So now it patrols in civilian clothes, whether on foot, by car, on horseback. It patrols all the time. ”
And while the situation seemed to be getting a little better as tourists, especially international tourists, began to return, coronavirus put an end to this recovery. From now on, Bassam tour operators will focus on national customers. “Coronavirus has created a new tourism for us, a local tourism. Ivorians can no longer travel so they come to us. But people coming on the weekends are not enough. The attack, the health crisis, all that, it’s sinking us, “complains the head of Wharf.
At La Nouvelle Paillote, Patrick believes he has seen others all these years in the country, and he says he will not give up: “Me anyway, I’m optimistic. Man forgets, men forget. “
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