Battle of Tessalit The Amachach military base in Tessalit was defended by roughly 800 Malian soldiers commanded by Colonel Kassim Goita , with 1 , 500 refugees being mostly Tuareg women and children . The International Committee of the Red Cross was sent to help evacuate civilians and military families , but despite the approval of the MNLA , Malian authorities delayed the operation and it was never executed as a humanitarian source . Other Malian military forces in the region of Tessalit were led by Colonels ' Didier Dacko , Ould Meydou , and the well respected Tuareg commander El Hagi Ag Gamou . Timeline . On 18 January , Tessalit itself came under attack by both MNLA and Ansar Dine rebels . According to Malian soldiers , fighters from AQIM were present . On 22 January , the MNLA announced they had surrounded the Malian army base in Tessalit and expected all foreign military trainers to evacuate the premises . The Amachach military camp is located about fifteen kilometers from Tessalit itself . In a separate clash with the Malian army , two rebels were killed and a vehicle destroyed . By then , the number of MNLA fighters reached around 600 with reinforcements arriving from Libya and Niger . On 10 February , the Malian army launched an offensive to relieve the garrison in Tessalit , after a two - week - long siege . The army deployed 107 all - terrain vehicles , six BRDM armored vehicles , and combat helicopters piloted by foreign mercenaries . The MNLA became aware of Malian army movements in the area , launching their own offensive , eventually meeting the Army in the village of Tinsalane , 20 kilometers south of Tessalit . According to the MNLA , the planned transport convoy carrying Malian soldiers from the towns of Kidal and Anefif to strengthen the garrison of Tessalit , was ambushed by a brigade of the MNLA . After several hours of fighting , Malian forces fled , leaving 17 dead and 14 prisoners , including their commander Yusuf Ag Bougara , along with six vehicles destroyed and four captured . According to residents of In - Kahlil located along the border with Algeria , dozens of rebel vehicles filled with injured fighters were accepted in Algerian hospitals . The Malian government announced the same day , that the army defeated the rebels killing a hundred and capturing 50 which differs from the MNLA ' s previous claim of only losing four men . The overall outcome of the confrontation is disputed over with both sides , but it seems to have been more in favor of the rebels , as a month later Tessalit fell . On 29 February , the Malian defenders of Amachach military base launched several raids of their own in an attempt to break the rebel siege , with some elements of outside reinforcements . The MNLA cited that none of their fighters were killed during the clashes where the Malian army sustained losses . Clashes continued through 1 March , when the Malian army attacked MNLA positions surrounding the base , but failed in any way to diverge the rebels from the siege . On 2 March , the MNLA announced that a total of 32 Malian soldiers have been killed , 20 wounded , and three vehicles destroyed in clashes over the past two weeks , leaving only seven dead and seven taken as prisoners in their ranks . On 4 March , the Malian army launched a second attempt to break the rebel siege of Tessalit , by sending reinforcements backed by combat helicopters . The attack was eventually repulsed after twelve hours of fighting , but a helicopter was able to reach the Amachach military base to help collect the dead and wounded soldiers , with some bodies already in a state of decomposing . On 8 March , according to local sources in the town of In - Khalil , eight MNLA combatants died of the wounds they received in clashes with the army , with a ninth being taken to an Algerian hospital in Bordj Badji Mokhtar . On 10 March , in the early evening , the MNLA launched their final assault on camp Amachach . Fighting continued until 11 March , when the Malian army fled their military base , leaving behind hundreds of weapons , mortars , rocket launchers , machine guns , and even tanks . Around 57 Malian soldiers , five officers ( two commanders , two lieutenants , and one captain ) were captured , with 10 vehicles and two BRDM ' s recovered . An important military arsenal along with a BRDM were both destroyed . The Malian army talked that their forces made a strategic withdrawal and evacuation of the Amachach military camp to shelter to civilians who had sought refuge and to prevent a massacre . Aftermath . After the rebel victory , the Malian army retreated to Gao taking with them close to 800 people , mostly Black Africans with only 30 being Tuareg . The MNLA released a statement promising that they will treat their prisoners according to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 , with a sick Malian soldier being handed over to Algerian authorities for care and 20 military families were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross . The Malian government responded to their defeat by calling on the International Community , saying that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating with crimes being committed by the rebels against civilians . In the statement it also indicated , that the army fled Tessalit in part that it was unnecessary casualties to continue the prolonged battle .