Mali has begun three days of national mourning following Friday’s militant Islamist attack on a hotel in the capital, Bamako, in which 19 people were killed. Malian and international troops stormed the Radisson Blu hotel to free guests and staff being held hostage. Two gunmen were killed.
Two separate Islamist groups have said they carried out the attack. Investigators have yet to determine the number and nationality of the gunmen. However, one security source in Mali told the BBC officials believed that the two dead gunmen had been speaking English during the attack.
The source said six of the dead were Malian, including one gendarme. Thirteen foreign nationals are confirmed dead. 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.
