Bamako

Today it’s Bamako’s turn.

Malian special forces have entered the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, to end a siege by gunmen. The hotel says 138 people remain inside.

The gunmen stormed the US-owned hotel, which is popular with foreign businesses and airline crews, shooting and shouting “God is great!” in Arabic.

Malian officials said 30 hostages have been freed. State TV earlier put the figure at 80.

Three people have been shot dead and two soldiers wounded, officials say.

Air France says 12 of its crew have been successfully freed in the rescue operation; Turkish Airlines says five of its crew are out, but two remain in the hotel.

Twenty Indian nationals are in part of the hotel but are safe, according [to] the Indian embassy in Mali, while Chinese state TV reported four of 10 Chinese citizens caught up in the attack had been rescued.

The BBC is live updating.

We’re slowly getting more information about who was there this morning:

  • 30 were hotel staff
  • 20 were Indians
  • 10 were Chinese
  • Seven Algerians, six of whom were diplomats
  • Six were Turkish airline staff
  • Two were Moroccans
  • Two were Russians working for Ulyanovsk airline
  • Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino was there
  • An unknown number of French, including 12 Air France crew
  • US citizens are suspected to have been in the hotel

Some of the above have managed to escape but 138 people are still trapped in the building as security forces move floor to floor.

God is not great.

Update:

The BBC reports that all the hostages are out.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its offshoot al-Murabitoun said they carried out the attack, according to an agency used by jihadists in the region.

At least 18 people have died and two soldiers wounded.

One of those killed was Geoffrey Dieudonne, a member of parliament in Belgium’s Wallonia region.

One Response to “Bamako”