Mali: a state of emergency and national mourning

Mali: a state of emergency and national mourning
By Euronews
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

Mali has been placed under a ten-day state of emergency after hundreds were taken hostage at a luxury hotel in its capital city. At least 20 people

ADVERTISEMENT

Mali has been placed under a ten-day state of emergency after hundreds were taken hostage at a luxury hotel in its capital city.

At least 20 people died when assailants stormed the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, which is popular with foreign clients.

One US citizen and three Chinese nationals have so far been identified as among those killed.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita also declared a three-day period of national mourning.

Le Pdt #IBK a décrété l'état d'urgence sur toute l'étendue du territoire national pour dix jours à compter du vendredi 20 novembre 2015

— Presidence Mali (@PresidenceMali) November 21, 2015

MALI | Dans la foulée, le Conseil des ministres extraordinaire a décrété un deuil national de trois jours à partir du lundi 23 novembre 2015

— Presidence Mali (@PresidenceMali) November 21, 2015

How the siege unfolded

170 guests and staff were taken hostage.

Eyewitnesses say the assailants went from floor to floor, releasing anyone who could recite verses of the Koran.

Malian security forces stormed the building after several hours and flushed out the alleged members of Al Mourabitoun.

The al Qaeda-linked group says it was behind the attack.

Mali/FLASH: Al-Mourabitoun claims responsibility for the attack in the hotel in Bamako https://t.co/Rt9jdBqF0b

— ESISC (@EsiscTeam) 20 Novembre 2015

Mokhtar Belmokhtar and al Mourabitoun

The hotel attack has put militant leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar back in the spotlight, months after he was reported killed.

He is the head of Al Mourabitoun, described by French Defence Minister Jean Yves le Drian as a mixture of fundamentalists and criminals.

He has told media the Algerian-based Belmokhtar was probably behind the attack.

In pictures

Malian security services gather outside the hotel

.alexis_ok</a> on the intensifying terror campaigns throughout Africa: <a href="https://t.co/KUfOqrjWxW">https://t.co/KUfOqrjWxW</a></p>&mdash; The New Yorker (NewYorker) 21 Novembre 2015

US State Department confirms one American is among at least 19 people killed in Mali hotel attack: https://t.co/wS0eoMNhke

— The Associated Press (@AP) 20 Novembre 2015

Hostage takers inside the Radisson Blu

At least 27 dead in #Mali hotel siege: https://t.co/SzJAI0gn34pic.twitter.com/Kh6qMRdlmr

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) 20 Novembre 2015

Mali hotel siege ends leaving 27 dead, US reports https://t.co/OzPUJ8imSz

— The Independent (@Independent) 20 Novembre 2015

People run for their lives

Militant group Al Mourabitoun claims Mali hotel assault #MaliSiegehttps://t.co/lbvT6oiGRHpic.twitter.com/UOsUP2M2Wx

— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) 21 Novembre 2015

Scores of guests still hostage in Mali hotel siege https://t.co/xq8Zwoz4Kppic.twitter.com/QMOdZtcRYx

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 20 Novembre 2015

Victims’ stories begin to be told

3 victims in #Mali hotel siege confirmed as China Railway Construction Corp. executives https://t.co/6dHN8mzn2xpic.twitter.com/OwWSM8VdoK

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) 21 Novembre 2015

3 Chinese citizens killed in Mali hotel siege https://t.co/xjly6DRD9dpic.twitter.com/rd2HlTcECi

— China.org.cn (@chinaorgcn) 21 Novembre 2015

Heavy gunfire can be heard as elite troops try to end siege at Mali hotel https://t.co/0NimQJ1wuy

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) 20 Novembre 2015

Share this articleComments

You might also like

Mali hotel siege: witnesses recount how the drama unfolded

WATCH: Mali pays tribute to football legend Salif Keita

UN votes to end its peacekeeping mission in Mali as demanded by the country's military junta