Militants Launch Deadly Attack On Mali Hotel Used By UN
At least five people were killed, military officials say.
Adama Diarra
BAMAKO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants attacked a hotel in central Mali used by U.N. staff, killing at least six people, taking others hostage and holding off troops encircling the building on Friday, residents and military sources said.
A Russian and a Ukrainian were among those being held inside the Byblos Hotel, officials from their countries said. There were up to eight other captives and South African and French citizens had also been staying there, government officials said.
Advertisement
The attack well south of the Islamic militants' Saharan desert strongholds highlights the threat posed by remnants of an al Qaeda-linked insurgency that appears to be stepping up a campaign against Malian troops and United Nations personnel.
Friday's violence began with a raid on a military site in the town of Sevare, around 600 km (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, that was successfully repelled by government troops, according to Mali's U.N. peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA.
The attackers then stormed the hotel near the airport before 8 a.m. (0800 GMT), according to witnesses.
Smoke rose from the hotel and heavy weapons fire rang out through the day as government forces attempted to dislodge the gunmen.
Advertisement
The body of a white male victim was visible in front of the hotel, a town resident said. Five Malian soldiers were killed in the clashes, Maiga said. Three attackers, one strapped with explosives, also died.
MINUSMA confirmed in a statement that one of its international employees was among the dead, but did not give the victim's nationality. Sources with knowledge of an internal U.N. briefing said that two U.N. contractors remained missing.
Gunfire subsided by the early evening and soldiers surrounded the building in a tense standoff.
"The armed men have withdrawn inside the hotel and have taken the people inside hostage," army spokesman Colonel Souleymane Maiga said. "The army is there at the site and we are looking for a solution that will preserve human life."
FOREIGNERS TARGETED
A 2013 French-led military operation drove Islamist fighters out of cities and towns they had seized a year earlier in Mali's desert north.
Advertisement
While the United Nations has managed to broker a tenuous peace agreement between Mali's government and ethnic Tuareg rebels, Islamist fighters left out of the negotiations have mounted a resurgence.
Former colonial ruler France and other Western and regional nations fear Islamist fighters could turn the remote region into a launching pad for foreign attacks if they regain power there.
MINUSMA said it had transported a Malian army rapid intervention team from Bamako to Sevare and was reinforcing its own security presence at the airport.
A Sevare resident and a diplomat said French war planes had been seen flying over the town during the day. Paris has deployed thousands of troops across West Africa as part of a counter-terrorism force dubbed Operation Barkhane.
A Barkhane official declined to comment.
In Bamako, police officials with clipboards visited hotels making lists of foreigners in each in an effort to increase security in case of further attacks.
Advertisement
Seven suspects were arrested in the hotel attack, according to a government statement, and five hostage takers were believed to be inside, Souleymane Dembele, another military spokesman, said.
Dembele said an east European was believed to have escaped during the attack.
Several groups are ramping up attacks further south in areas previously considered secure.
Sahara-based group al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant in Mali's capital Bamako that killed five people, including a French citizen and a Belgian security officer in March.
Ansar Dine, a Malian group with links to al Qaeda, last month claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on U.N. peacekeepers and the Malian army in Bamako and areas near the Ivory Coast and Mauritania borders.
(Additional reporting by Tiemoko Diallo, Emma Farge and Souleymane Ag Anara in Bamako and Jack Stubbs in Moscow; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Grant McCool)
Advertisement
Also on HuffPost:
French Intervention In Mali
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.