2015 Bamako hotel attack
| 2015 Bamako hotel attack | |
|---|---|
Location of Bamako within Mali
| |
| Location | Bamako, Mali |
| Coordinates | 12.6352°N 8.0308°W |
| Date | 20 November 2015 (UTC) |
Attack type
| Mass shooting, hostage crisis |
| Weapons | Guns |
| Deaths | At least 27 (2 Malian, 1 Belgian), 3 attackers[1][2][3] |
Non-fatal injuries
| At least 2 Malian Special Forces[4] |
| Assailants | Al-Mourabitoun Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb |
| ||||||
On 20 November 2015, a shooting attack and hostage crisis occurred at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the capital and largest city of Mali. The hotel is popular with foreigners.[5][6] At least 27 people were reported killed[1] before special forces raided the hotel and freed the surviving hostages.[7][8] Al-Mourabitoun, an African jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter, although its claim has not been verified.[1][9] The hotel is operated by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.[6]
Attack[edit]
Between four to five gunmen arrived at the hotel between 07:00 and 07:30 UTC; according to a hotel employee, the men were driving a vehicle with diplomatic license plates.[6] Malian army commander Modibo Nama Traoré said that at least 10 gunmen had stormed the hotel shouting "Allahu Akbar" before firing on guards and taking hostages.[10] Kassim Traoré, a Malian journalist, said hostages were asked to recite the declaration of Muslim faith, the Shahada, as a way of separating Muslims from non-Muslims. Those able to do so were released.[6] Malian special forces stormed the hotel.[11] According to the hotel operators, 125 guests and 13 employees were inside the hotel when the siege began.[6] According to General Didier Dacko of the Malian Army, "about 100 hostages" were taken at the beginning of the siege.[6] The Associated Press[12] and Al Jazeera have reported that in the chaos of the initial attack, many present were able to escape, but around 170 people were held hostage.[13]
A delegation of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie was in the hotel at the time of the attack.[6] Ten Chinese citizens, twenty Indian citizens, six American citizens, seven Algerian citizens including six diplomats, two Russian citizens, two Moroccan citizens, seven Turkish Airlines staff and an unknown number of French citizens were reported to have been among those taken hostage.[14][15] Twelve crew from Air France were also in the hotel however were extracted and safely released.[16] Three United Nations staff were safely removed from the hotel, however it remains unknown how many are caught inside. Several delegates from MINUSMA were present at the hotel attending a meeting on the peace process in the country.[17] Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino was in the hotel at the time of the attacks, however he was able get out unharmed.[14] So far, 80 hostages have been freed.[16][14]
UN peacekeepers are supporting the Malian Armed Forces by reinforcing security around the hotel.[14] 25 U.S. military personnel were in Bamako at the time of the attack and are currently assisting Malian forces in evacuating civilians to secure locations.[16]
Claim of responsibility[edit]
While the attack was under way, Al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for it on Twitter, although its claim has not been verified.[1][18] In an audio recording provided to Al Jazeera, the group also claimed responsibility and said that it had undertaken the attack jointly with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.[19]
Al-Mourabitoun is a militant Islamist/jihadist group made up of Tuaregs and Arabs from northern Mali, and is affiliated with al-Qaeda.[19][18][20] The group, led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, formed in 2013 and is based in the Sahara Desert.[20] Al-Mourabitoun previously claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant in Bamako in March 2015, in which five people were killed; a suicide attack on UN peacekeepers in northern Mali in April 2015, in which at least three people were killed; and an attack on a hotel in the central Malian city of Sevare, in which 17 people were killed.[20]
Reactions[edit]
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta cut short his visit to Chad in order to return to Bamako.[14]
French troops are present in Mali as part of efforts to fight rebels in the conflict in the north of the country.[14] In a press conference, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabiusstated that France will take "all steps necessary" to fight the attackers in Bamako. A crisis unit was set up in the French Embassy.[14] Forty officers from the French National Gendarmerie's GIGN special forces unit, along with ten forensic and criminal officers, were sent to "advise and support" Malian security forces.[16][21] Air France flights to and from Bamako have been suspended for the day.[16]
The Foreign Office in the United Kingdom advised British nationals to remain indoors and follow the instructions of the local authorities.[22] Similar warnings were made by Australia, which advised its citizens not to travel to Mali and advised those in country to leave.[23] The U.S. Embassy urged Americans to shelter in place, follow instructions and contact their family.[24]
The United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office changed their travel advice to against all but essential travel to Mali.
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