Mali yesterday began three days of national mourning and declared a state of emergency after a nine-hour siege by Islamist gunmen at a top hotel in the capital left at least 19 people dead.
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“Mali declared a ten-day state of emergency following the Attack+Hotel+in+Mali’s+Capital%2C+Attempt+to+Take+Hostages” hostage siege, which took place at a hotel in the capital Bamako on Friday.
Two groups have claimed responsibility – Al Mourabitoun, an African jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Three suspects are now being sought, a security source told the AFP news agency, without giving further details so as not to compromise the investigation.
Keita, who vowed in an overnight televised address that “terror will not win”, visited the site of the carnage Saturday.
Friday’s assault came a week after militants killed 130 people in gun and bomb attacks in Paris claimed by Islamic State.
“Everything she did in her life she did to help others- as a mother, public health expert, daughter, sister and friend”.
Northern Mali was occupied by Islamist fighters, a few with links to al-Qaida, for the majority of 2012.
United Nations chief General Ban Ki-moon also condemned Friday’s “horrific terrorist attack”, suggesting the violence was aimed at destroying peace efforts in the country.
The minister said the hostages included 45 Malians, 15 U.S. citizens and nationals of Ivory Coast, Turkey, Algeria, Russia, Spain, Canada, Germany, Togo and China. “The police are there and are sealing off the area”, the security source said.
Instead, Malian troops pressed into the hotel, finding more than a dozen bodies of hostages. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to the President of the Republic of Mali, Ibrahim Bubacar Keita in connection with the death of citizens of Mali and other countries after terrorists attacked a hotel in Bamako, the Kremlin press service reported.
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A Turkish official said five of seven Turkish Airlines staff had also managed to flee.
