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BAMAKO // Gunmen attacked a Radisson hotel in Mali’s capital on Friday and were believed to be holding 170 hostages.
Two people have “locked in” 140 guests and 30 employees in an ongoing hostage-taking at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the hotel chain said in a statement
“The Rezidor Hotel Group... is aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today, 20th November 2015. As per our information two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees,” said the company.
“Our safety and security teams and our corporate team are in constant contact with the local authorities in order to offer any support possible to re-instate safety and security at the hotel,” it added in a statement released in London.
Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel, where security forces have set up a security cordon.
The shooting follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare.
Four soldiers, five UN workers and four attackers were killed.
Extremist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an French-led military operation launched in January 2013.
Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
* Reuters, Agence France-Presse
Two people have “locked in” 140 guests and 30 employees in an ongoing hostage-taking at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the hotel chain said in a statement
“The Rezidor Hotel Group... is aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today, 20th November 2015. As per our information two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees,” said the company.
“Our safety and security teams and our corporate team are in constant contact with the local authorities in order to offer any support possible to re-instate safety and security at the hotel,” it added in a statement released in London.
Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel, where security forces have set up a security cordon.
The shooting follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare.
Four soldiers, five UN workers and four attackers were killed.
Extremist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an French-led military operation launched in January 2013.
Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
* Reuters, Agence France-Presse
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