Mali’s army rescued four hostages from a hotel where they had been held by armed Islamist militants since Friday in an attack that left 12 people dead, the defense ministry said.
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Colonel Diaran Kone said, “It seems to be over and it has ended well”.
“We cannot say that everything is finished, but a number of hostages were freed by Malian forces deployed around the Hotel Byblos in Sevare”, a military source told AFP. “They were hiding”, Radhia Achouri said, as Reuters reported.
One of the foreigners killed was a South African man, the South African embassy in Mali has confirmed in a statement by foreign ministry spokesman Nelson Kgwete.
Mali’s special forces were transported to Sevare from Bamako early Saturday and launched an operation to rescue the people inside the hotel. “The Russian is now in the same city [Sevare], at a UN camp”, Gorelov said in a telephone interview with Interfax.
Unknown gunmen laid siege to at least three hotels frequented by foreigners and UN workers Friday morning.
A Ukrainian hostage managed to escape from the hotel and said up to five gunmen had led the hostage-taking.
The attackers may be elements of Amadou Koufa, a leader who has been linked to attacks on Mali’s army including a January attack that killed 10 soldiers in Nampala, said Col. Souleymane Maiga, chief spokesman for the military.
An earlier government statement said two militants were killed in the fire fight and seven suspects were detained.
On Saturday, two Malian soldiers were killed and five were injured when their convoy was ambushed in the center of the country on the road between the towns of Nampala and Diabaly.
Northern Mali fell under the control of jihadists back in 2012 but a French-led offensive ousted them from power in early 2013.
Friday’s attack, which took place well south of the Islamist militants’ traditional strongholds, highlights the continued threat posed by remnants of the insurgency that have stepped up their attacks on Malian soldiers and United Nations troops.
As yet, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Islamic extremists are thought to be behind the incident.
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The insurgents have carried out a series of attacks outside their main bases in Mali’s north this year, targeting south and central parts of the country.
