At Least 12 Killed as Mali Hotel Siege Finally Ends
At least 12 people including four foreign U.N. contractors died in a hostage siege at a hotel in central Mali that ended early Saturday when government troops stormed the building.
"There are 12 dead in all," an army officer told Agence France Presse after the operation at the Hotel Byblos in Sevare, listing the fatalities as five "terrorists", five soldiers and "two white people".
The body of one of the foreign victims had lain in front of the hotel since Friday when the gunmen stormed the building, the officer said.
The UN mission in Mali MINUSMA said two Ukrainians, a Nepalese and a South African were killed in the drama as well as a Malian driver working for a company contracted by the mission.
It said four others -- two South Africans, a Russian and a Ukranian -- were rescued and were in "good health."
"The attackers did not detect their presence in the hotel and MINUSMA was in permanent contact with them throughout the attack and until its end," it added.
South Africa's foreign ministry said a 38-year-old man from Pretoria was killed in the siege while two other South Africans were safe.
Local media identified the victim as Roelof Janse van Rensburg. A foreign ministry spokesman said he was working for an aviation company hired by MINUSMA.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said four of its nationals were caught up in the attack, one of whom was killed.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack, which comes as Mali is seeking to implement a June peace deal despite continuing unrest from militant groups and spreading jihadist attacks since the beginning of the year.
"This attack will not lessen the determination of the United Nations to accompany the Malian people in their efforts to implement the peace agreement," the statement said.
Located a few kilometers from the regional capital Mopti, Sevare is a key staging post on the road to Mali's desert north which fell to Islamic extremists in 2012.
- Military site targeted -
A source told AFP that a Russian man "hidden inside the building" had supplied "useful information" to Malian forces during the siege.
Gunmen had burst into the hotel at around 7:00 am (0700 GMT) on Friday, according to the government. At least one of the attackers was said to be wearing a belt of explosives.
Malian forces cordoned off the area but their efforts to dislodge the attackers were complicated by the presence of hostages.
There were exchanges of fire throughout Friday and the army brought the siege to an end early Saturday, with one source saying foreign special forces were also involved.
The U.N. mission said the initial target of the attack was a Malian military site.
"The attackers, who were pushed back by the Malian Armed Forces, then took refuge in a hotel," MINUSMA said.
A Ukrainian hostage who managed to escape from the hotel said up to five gunmen had led the hostage-taking in Sevare, which lies 620 kilometers (385 miles) south of the capital Bamako.
"Life has returned to normal" on Saturday in Sevare, a local lawmaker told AFP, adding that people had come back out onto the streets.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as Mali battles a resurgence in jihadist violence, two years after a French-led offensive routed three Islamist factions from most parts of the country.
France has more than 1,000 soldiers based in northern Mali as part of regional anti-terrorist efforts.
The hotel siege was the third attack in just a week in Mali, which is still struggling to restore stability despite a landmark peace deal agreed in June to end years of unrest and ethnic divisions.
Islamist militants have kidnapped a number of foreigners in Mali in recent years, at least two of whom are still being held hostage by al-Qaida's front group in the region AQIM.
Source: Agence France Presse
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