2015 Bamako hotel attack

Coordinates: 12°38′07″N 8°01′51″W / 12.6352°N 8.0308°W / 12.6352; -8.0308
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

2015 Bamako hotel attack
hand grenades, Explosive belt
Deaths22 total
  • 20 hostages
  • 2 gunmen[1]
Injured7 and at least two Malian Special Forces[2][3][4]
PerpetratorsAl-Mourabitoun
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

On 20 November 2015,

al Qaeda member confirmed that the two groups cooperated in the attack.[10]

Background

Following the

Iyad ag Ghali. A Human Rights Watch report said the Macina Liberation Front militants had carried out serious abuses in parts of central Mali since January and killed at least five people they accused of being aligned to the government. The group has attacked police and military, particularly in the Mopti region, most recently killing three soldiers in Tenenkou in August. The Malian military recently arrested Alaye Bocari, a man they say was a key MLF financier and Kouffa's right-hand man.[12]

The

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which has headquarters in the United States and Belgium.[14]

Attack

Two gunmen arrived at the hotel

Allahu Akbar" before firing on guards and taking hostages.[16] Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino, who was in the hotel but escaped,[11] reported that the perpetrators were speaking in English.[17] This was supported by many other witnesses, who said the attackers spoke something that was neither Arabic nor local.[18]

Kassim Traoré, a Malian journalist, said that hostages were asked to recite the

Armed and Security Forces of Mali special forces stormed the hotel.[19] 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[20] 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.[21]

A delegation of the

Moroccan citizens, seven Turkish Airlines staff, and an unknown number of French citizens were reported to have been among those taken hostage. Two Canadian mining executives were some of the last hostages rescued.[11] Twelve crew from Air France, who were also in the hotel, were extracted and safely released.[24] Three United Nations staff were safely removed from the hotel, but it remains unknown how many were caught inside. Several delegates from MINUSMA were present at the hotel attending a meeting on the peace process in the country.[25] More than 100 hostages were freed.[26]

The

U.S. Defense Department said that 22 military and civilian department personnel were in the city, including five people who were at the hotel. However, he added that everyone was accounted for and there were no reports of injuries. One member, who was outside, entered the hotel to help first responders move civilians to secure locations while the Malian operation was ongoing. Another member helped at the Joint Operations Center, which was set up to respond to the incident. The official also said that the forces did not directly participate in the operation. A further 12 U.S. citizens were rescued by security forces, according to AFRICOM.[27]

Although there were earlier reports of more gunmen involved in the hotel attack, the investigation determined that in fact there were only two attackers.[15]

Victims

Deaths by nationality
Country Number Ref.
 Mali 6 [28]
 Russia 6 [28]
 China 3 [28]
 Belgium 2 [28]
 United States 1 [28]
 Senegal 1 [28]
 Israel 1 [28]
Total 20 [28]

Twenty people were murdered in the attack: six Malians, six Russians, three Chinese, two Belgians, one American, one Israeli and one Senegalese.[29][30][31] Among the victims were:

Responsibility

While the attack was under way,

Sahara Desert.[41]

The

Macina Liberation Front also claimed responsibility for the attack.[18]

Reactions

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta cut short his visit to Chad in order to return to Bamako and coordinate the response.[11] Mali also declared a 10-day state of emergency.[42]

In a press conference, French Foreign Minister

GIGN special forces unit, along with ten forensic and criminal officers, were sent to "advise and support" Malian security forces.[24][43] Air France flights to and from Bamako were suspended for the day.[24]

The

shelter in place, follow government instructions and contact their family.[49]

The Russian city of Ulyanovsk Oblast, home of five of the victims, declared 23 November a mourning day.[50]

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita later declared three days of national mourning in Mali. Ahead of the three days of national mourning, the chairman of the West African regional bloc Ecowas, Senegal's President Macky Sall, visited Bamako to show support. He said on Sunday: "Mali will never be alone in this fight, we are all committed because we are all involved." Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea are also observing the mourning.[12]

Investigation

Three days after the attack, the Malian government released photographs of the corpses of the two attackers.[15] The men were clean-shaven and appeared to be in their 20s.[15] One "had visible bullet wounds to his upper body."[15] The authorities have not been able to identify the men and urged members of the public with information to come forward.[15] Al Mourabitoun, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said that the men were Abdul Hakim al-Ansari and Mu'adh al-Ansari, but this claim has not been verified.[15]

On 22 November 2015, two separate police sources speaking to

anonymity said that "two foreigners" along with "three or four accomplice" were responsible for the attack.[51]

On 27 November 2015, Malian special forces arrested two Malian men in their early 30s on the outskirts of Bamako in connection with the attack.[30][52] The men were linked to the attack by a mobile phone found at the scene of the attack.[52]

See also

References

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